"Burn!"
Ivan Smith declared, flames in hand— clearly ready to launch it at me with full force.
'What the heck?!'
I hadn't counted on things escalating to this extent. I had overestimated Ivan's intelligence since I thought he would have thought things through.
'Violence isn't prohibited, but the destruction of property is!'
Judging by the intensity of the flames, even if I evaded it, it would destroy furniture and perhaps other things. While it would be considered Ivan's attack, we would both be penalized since our fight caused it.
'Damn... I don't intend on being penalized this early!'
My stomach bit me, allowing me to remember the pain within me caused by lack of nutrition. This caused me to wince. Coupled with my already worried expression, I was certain I looked really pathetic.
"Looking scared already, eh? Well, it's too late now!" Ivan grinned, bringing the flames closer.
I realized that he wanted to show off his power in front of everyone at this point. If he played his card right, people would view him as one who could easily bring anyone into subjection if they defied him.
This would increase his reputation and give him a better standing among students. Unfortunately, I had no intention of being his stepping stone.
'It feels like a waste to use this on someone like you, but...'
As Ivan approached with his sparking flames, the brilliant burst of fire suddenly began flickering and in a second, died out entirely.
"... E-eh?!"
Everyone's eyes widened as the flickering light went out, wondering what the heck happened. Still, none were as shocked as Ivan, who looked at his palm and found nothing but sizzling smoke.
"What the-?" I heard him whisper.
"What's wrong? Weren't you going to burn me up?" I smiled, enduring the pangs of hunger within me.
He frowned, feeling the weight of public opinion begin to shift from his side. Gritting his teeth, he attempted his spell again and a burst of fireball appeared, causing the smile had previously to return.
"Oh? Maybe he deactivated that other spell on purpose!"
"Yeah! <Fireball> is a middle-tier Basic Spell, after all. There's no way Ivan would flop it!"
"He must be getting serious now!"
I smiled, hearing the fickle audience switch sides again. Ivan was pleased by the support of the crowd and took a bold step forward in response. However, just as he moved, his flames went out once again.
"W-wha-?!" His eyes widened, hearing the sizzling of dying flames in his palm.
Having experienced this twice in a row, the thought had registered in everyone's mind that this was no fluke. And, just as expected, whispers began spreading.
"What's going on?"
"Ivan can't chant a fireball spell?"
"No way! You saw what he used in the second round!"
"Then... do you think it's Jared that's causing his spell to fail?"
"No way! <Interference> is a high-class spell!"
"I'm so confused right now?"
My grin grew a bit wider as I saw Ivan getting crushed by the barely audible sounds coming from the audience. Of course, in his mana-enhanced state, Ivan could hear them too. Having no other option than to glare at me, the older boy growled in frustration.
"You... what did you do?!"
A wry smile appeared on my face. Even if I told him, he wouldn't get it!
'In any case, I should end this quickly.' My thought rang as I clenched my stomach.
Ivan desperately activated <Fireball> as soon as he saw that I was already making my advance toward him. This time, however, the flames only flickered for a second, not even growing behind a mere spark before dying out.
"Whu-?!"
He did it again, and this time nothing but sizzling smoke emanated from his palm. Puzzled beyond belief, his eyes went to his palm, and then to me.
"W-what are you doing?!" He cried, gritting his teeth.
I didn't bother responding, as I was conserving energy. My steps were slow but steady. In a few seconds, I would reach Ivan.
His leg began shifting back and I could feel his unease— the temptation to retreat was so evident in his eyes.
However, if he did so, everyone would get a worse impression of him. Realizing this, he stood firmly in his position and pointlessly tried casting <Fireball>, to no effect.
'I'm guessing 'Fire' is his major attribute since he's in the Yellow Core Stage already. Other Spells would take a considerably longer time. That's why he's stubbornly clinging to it.'
Well, even if he used other spells, I had perfect counters for them.
Ivan began letting out shrieks as his Spell was not working at all, at least to all eyes that could see. Not even smoke came out again.
"Stop wasting your mana pointlessly... it won't work," I spoke blankly, a couple of inches from the taller boy.
Ivan gritted his teeth and decided to forget his spell. At our current range, he had the appropriate reach to land a solid blow on me. With this in mind, he clenched his fist and launched a powerful blow at me.
My body was sluggish due to the weakness enveloping me, so I didn't want to do anything as troublesome as moving my body to dodge.
>WHAM!<
Ivan's fist stopped a few inches from my face, hitting an invisible wall that was so sturdy, it generated a massive noise in response to the opponent's hit.
In reflex, Ivan withdrew his hand in pain and let out a little grown. His hand was reddened, caused by the impact between him and my invisible defense.
His face showed fear and confusion as I took another step closer. The boy's legs were forced to move backward, retreating as I advanced. I remained unfazed and kept moving.
In response, his irrational self took over and launched volleys of mana-enhanced punches at me. My invisible barrier took the brunt of all his offenses and only Ivan suffered from all his attacks.
By the time his back reached the wall and he had nowhere else to retreat to, I had already one of raised my hands, struggling to keep it steady due to my weakened state.
An idea came to mind, so I decided to act on it.
'Using it should be enough... with this, it's my win...'
