In an Academy brimming with over five hundred students, only Thirty-one students were willing to participate in my little game.
'Very well.'
With the snap of my fingers, all the kids who raised their hands were teleported to the stage.
"W-wha —?!" Many voices of disbelief sprang from the audience.
Their reactions were expected.
Teleportation/Transportation Magic had not been perfected in the world of Magic yet. Only short distances could be traveled, and it took a great deal of Mana.
It was very rare for a person to teleport one individual somewhere —as well as downright impossible to do the same for thirty-one people.
'Well, using the Arcana's help makes this sort of like cheating...'
It was worth the use, though. After all, even if I didn't have the attention of some of them before... my actions had drawn them all to me.
"You will all be fighting me." I smiled at the students who were lined up before me, on the stage.
Their flustered and utterly surprised reactions were priceless.
"W-we can't do that!"
"We don't stand a chance!"
"Is this really an Exhibition?"
'And here I thought they were brave ones for choosing to raise their hands... disappointing.'
"I-I'll do it!" One person finally blurted out.
It was the kid I saw just this morning. A smile appeared on my face the moment I saw his determined expression.
'Now that's the spirit.'
"M-me too!"
"I'll fight too!"
"L-let's do this!"
I nodded, satisfied that they were finally gaining morale.
"Alright, then. Let us begin."
**************************
>FWOOOOOSSSSSHHHH!!!<
The students rushed at me from all directions, coordinating themselves perfectly.
I had given them ten minutes to prep themselves, and in that time they had devised something beautiful.
With fluid teamwork, thirty students encircled me —covering both flanks and my rear.
Of course, a few bombarded me in my front to serve as a distraction. A frontal assault was going to be evaded or blocked, but that was most likely what they were going for.
'Their tactics and impeccable use of teamwork are good. Ainzlark taught them well...'
The problem was power.
>SHUUUUUUUUU!<
Before the spells —fire, earth, water, wind, etc. —hit me, they dissipated into nothing.
'Their output is too weak...'
No matter how hard they tried, none of them could beat me, but I already knew that. Reducing the level of my barrier to only stop low-level attacks was my handicap to them, but... it seemed like that was too much.
"Hmm... is this the best that Ainzlark Students have to offer?"
I heard some tongues click in annoyance. It seemed my words got to them.
>FSHUUUUUU!!!<
Suddenly, a large Magic Circle appeared underneath me. It was crimson, and based on the properties I sensed, the spell that was going to be used belonged to a lower-class Advanced level.
'Hm... so they were merely stalling for this, uh?'
The students on my flanks and rear were now at a standstill, all infusing their Mana to charge the circle that was forming underneath me.
The spell was going to erupt at any moment, and since my barrier was not built to handle it, the damage was going to reach me.... or not.
'Alright, I've seen what I wanted to. Let's stop now...'
>VWUUUSSSHHH!<
A burst of energy surged from my body, encompassing the whole stage. Instantly, the Magic Circle dissipated, and all the Mana of the students suddenly vanished.
'E-EH?!'
They all sank to their knees instantly, shocked and completely beaten.
"That's the end of that. You all lost."
With the snap of my fingers, they all vanished and returned to their respective seats.
'As expected, all of them were Magic Users. What about Martial Artists?'
The audience was staring at me, dumbfounded. They were anticipating an explanation.
'Sorry to disappoint, but...'
"Anyone else wants to try? Maybe Martial Artists this time?'
No one responded.
"Well, that's unfortunate. I was thinking of telling you the secret of that special stuff I used if there was anyone who would be able to at least reach me, but..."
For a moment, the audience went uneasy and gave in to complaint.
"Isn't that impossible?"
"This is meant to be an Exhibition!"
"Yeah! You should just show and teach us!"
"Isn't he being too unreasonable?"
"I'm curious, though. What spell did he use to completely stop them?"
"Dumbass, we're all curious!"
I smiled, watching the uncooperative students look at me with slight annoyance. It was certain that they simply wanted me to show them something amazing, and then explain everything to them.
That was all what the ones before me had ever done.
'... And that's why they're in this state.'
Since they were simply watching from afar off, there would have been very little emotional attachment to the topic. However, for those who had fought me, I was certain that none of them would be the same after this Exchange.
'I'm not looking to change everyone. Only those who will take the first step...'
Magic wasn't for everyone. The same applied to other Arts.
Even in the world of Magic, not everyone was interested in fighting. There were so many diverse fields of Magic. However, these were dangerous times.
The strong would devour the weak. Perhaps it was time that these students realized that.
'And what's with saying it's impossible? They just don't want to think!'
Even though I was a kid, didn't I fight with a Demon Lord? Compared to that, wasn't this something very trivial?
There was no risk or harm. It was an opportunity to learn, yet many shied away from it.
'With the way they are now, they won't ever match up to the previous generation...'
And that was something I refused to accept.
Society was meant to be progressive. Magic, Martial Arts, Innovations; everything was supposed to improve with the passage of time.
"I see... how disappointing," I said, shaking my head as I watched the confused students.
"Since there are no volunteers..."
There was one last thing I could try out.
"... I'll be taking my leave now. Consider the earlier match your exhibition."
