Chapter Eight
(Moments before the storm, I mean clash of spells...)
The abrupt surge in Langris' magic power did not go unnoticed under the watchful gaze of the captains.
"We need to stop them." Fuegoleon said, a note of urgency coloring his voice. "Before things go south."
"Already on it." Besides him, both Yami and Diavel were ready to jump in at any moment. From the scale of magic power released by the two participants, it was an easy guess that the collision of their spells wouldn't be finished with just an impact.
There was also the chance of both the mages taking their duel even further, which may result in an unfortunate accident for either of them. The captains did not want to risk losing potential knights for any of the squads the two would end up joining in. The mages in charge of the examination, had already set up the barriers to protect the spectators from any harm.
"I will deal with their spells. The two of you focus on restraining them." Diavel added before jumping off with his grimoire floating up right beside him. The other two captains followed suit, while the remaining captains were on guard just in case they were needed to step in.
____________________________________________
The audience watched in awe as Captain Diavel quickly fixed all the damages that were caused to the arena, once again making it suitable enough for the other examinees to have their battles and test out their battling prowess. Though, after this battle, they were doubting whether they would be able to witness another intense battle of this level.
After fixing the arena, he turned to see Yami letting go of the restraints he put on Varre while Langris looked more annoyed than he was in the match and muttering something unpleasant to which Fuegoleon seemed totally indifferent about.
"You two idiots really took it too far." Yami spoke, letting out a puff of smoke.
"No offense Captain Yami, but you do realize that it's rich coming from the one famous for going overboard and causing property damage, respectfully." Varre knew that Yami was the last man on earth who demanded such kind of formal respect. He wasn't the type to dwell much on things like respect and formalities. The teen simply did it with the sole purpose of getting under his skin.
"Pfft, respectfully?" Yami let out a short yet hearty laughter at the teen's wit. "I like ya kid. Come join the Black Bulls."
'As usual he didn't even bother to wait for results at all.' The other two captains shared a blank stare at their coworker's recruitment process. He was the only one who went beyond the conventional rules and formalities regarding selecting members for the magic knight squad.
For Yami as long as he found the person likeable and had potential in his eyes, they were more than welcome to join the Black Bulls.
"I respectfully decline sir, as I have already made up my mind on which squad I wish to be in." Varre replied with a modest bow . "Though if I am not selected by that squad, I may as well consider joining your squad."
"Now that's a bummer." The Dark Magic user let out a defeated sigh before continuing. "With the skills you just showed off, only an absolute idiot would not choose you in their squad."
"It wasn't just skills." Diavel finally decided to join in the conversation. "Considering who you were up against and the difference between your power levels, you were comparatively level-headed. That is something most people fail to have in face of absolute danger."
The selection criteria for this round wasn't just a mage's combat prowess but also to check how they would react to unexpected situations which are prone to arise in a battle. A battle is unpredictable and one cannot predict or foresee what turn it would take in due course which is why keeping a level head is a must for any knight or warrior. Recklessness and impatience in a real battle leads to one's own demise.
"Ah well, as long as you don't join the beanpole's squad, I am fine with wherever you end up." Having given up on one potential member for his squad, Yami proceeded to go back to where the captains were seated. "See ya later kid."
'That aside I did find a good pair of wheels for myself.' The captain of Black Bulls spared a short glance at a certain spatial mage who seemed nervous about literally everything in his surroundings at the moment. 'He needs a lot of grooming though.'
The fifth round resumed after the captains had gone back to their respective seats. Much to their and the audience's expectations, the fights weren't much intense compared to Varre and Langris' duel. Most of them were concluded with a single spell to spare.
Some had unexpected results such as when an examinee literally screamed and ran off when her opponent summoned a zombie from out of nowhere with his magic. It did not just creep out his opponent but most of the participants and spectators as well. Surprisingly, he seemed content having scared people off with his magic.
'Now that's an interesting matchup.' Varre thought to himself, seeing Altria walk up to the middle of the arena before his eyes traveled to her green-haired bespectacled opponent. 'From what I have known about her magic, Altria certainly is stronger in terms of power but the Compass Magic is going to be a pain in the ass.'
"That's Kivn." Licht decided to make himself known. Ever since he had known that he can actually converse with his host, he felt less lonely and certainly more talkative. "Though I sense that her magic element is different."
"That's obvious. I doubt compasses existed in your era." The sword mage answered, having grown accustomed to Licht's propensity for popping up and initiating a conversation with him.
"What's a compass?"
"Exactly."
"....Did you just make fun of me?"
"I did no such thing. Let's focus on the match."
The battle kicked off with Altria taking the initiative of attacking first by making several spheres of light all around her before launching them towards her foe. The latter in return summoned several medium-sized compasses around her, acting as her shields. The spheres of light upon coming closer to the compasses dispersed in all directions except their intended target. The spectacled girl had a composed look, seeing all the attacks of her opponent become futile in front of her spell.
'She's strong.' Knowing full well that her opponent is a noblewoman well-versed in the use of magic, Altria couldn't afford to not give her all in this magic. After all she wanted to win now, having been motivated by Varre's battle against Langris beforehand.
She had noticed that the battle had lit fire in the hearts of many of the participants and all of them gave their all in their battles to be able to get selected in the squads they wanted to be in.
Conjuring a pair of light spears on both her hands, she hurled them together at her opponent. The results were the same as before, with the spears simply deviating from their intended course, going up towards the sky before colliding with one another.
"Ranged spells are no good." Altria muttered to herself, the pages of her grimoire fluttering. "Maybe if the distance is reduced, the compasses will have less time to react."
"Holy Magic: Fist of Divinity!"
Acting on her gut feeling, Altria leaped for her opponent, her fists glowing with star-shaped light. A thin layer of mana surrounded her entire frame, increasing her speed even more. The green-haired girl grew alarmed and brought one of her compasses right on Altria's intended path of attack.
The compass shattered upon impact with Altria's fist, alarming the green-haired mage who jumped back a few steps to increase the distance between herself and her opponent while simultaneously sending a few more compass discs at her which the blonde shattered with her fists.
"Compass Magic: Longitude Lance!"
In response to Altria's relentless barrage of attacks, her foe conjured a compass needle-shaped lance which levitated above her. Having set its target, the girl launched it towards her opponent who had to take a break from her flurry of punches. Altria tried to move away from the line of attack of the lance but much to her surprise, the lance followed her whichever way she went. It was set to strike her.
Not seeing any other way out of this, Altria quickly conjured a protective barrier all around her to protect herself from the lance. The lance stopped right in front of the barrier, unable to penetrate it.
"That was a good move but will your barrier be able to withstand this?" The green-haired noblewoman spoke up after having summoned a few more lances which encircled around Altria's barrier. The moment the barrier would dissipate or be broken down, the lances would strike. "I suggest you make the right call and give up to avoid getting hurt."
'The thing that plays a major part in a battle is combat experience. Letoile got the upper hand in that regard.' Varre clicked his tongue seeing the predicament his friend was in. The lances were set with homing ability and would only strike down their target set by the caster.
'Just because she has a Saber face, doesn't mean she has her experience.' The hazel-eyes mage made a mental note to himself. 'After the exam is over, I will help her with combat training and give some tips. For her own good.'
He had no doubts that as a mage, Altria was very talented with how she put her magic into use. The area where she lacked was in using her magic for the purpose of fighting. She had little to no exposure when it came to fighting, mostly because it was Varre who used to get more into fights, even for her sake at times.
A magic knight's life is mostly dedicated to fight the enemies of his or her homeland. They are the soldiers that defend the kingdom from the forces that mean harm to it and the people of the kingdom as well. They have a duty to defend them and make the citizens feel secure.
"I give up." Altria declared, raising both her arms before dissipating the barrier. The lances disappeared midair as the compass mage closed her grimoire.
"That was a good match." She humbly spoke to her foe, giving an appreciative smile before walking back to where the other participants stood. Similarly, Altria walked back beside Varre, leaving the arena for the next battle.
"Hey, cheer up. You did well." Varre said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"But I wasn't able to win." Altria replied with a slight pout, frustration evident in her tone. "She had me cornered easily."
"Well if it is any consolation, my match was a draw." The brunette reminded her. "In a long-drawn fight, I would definitely lose against Langris."
"But you did put up a good fight. I didn't even get the chance to." The blonde retorted.
"We can't achieve success right on the first try." Varre went on. "We now know that our shortcomings lie in combat and that we need to work on improving it. Don't worry, we will get better eventually."
Knowing one's shortcomings was the first step to betterment. If one is aware of their faults and shortcomings, they can work on it to get better results next time. Being ignorant of those leads to one hindering their own progress and then eventually hitting a roadblock in their overall growth and development.
"You are right. This is just the start for us. We have a long way to go if we want to become exceptional magic knights." Having heard her friend's words of assurance and encouragement, the blonde felt better and started to look at her loss in a positive way. The loss would serve as a lesson for her to improve on her shortcomings.
"From here on, I am going to do my best."
____________________________________________
It wasn't until sunset that the fifth and final round had come to an end. The participants were instructed to align themselves in the sequence of their entry, guided by the numbers assigned to them upon entering the arena. Each contender held a pamphlet bearing their designated number, a crucial identifier for the impending selection process.
One of the robed mages acted as an announcer where she would announce the number and name of the participant, prompting them to step forward when their names would be called. The captains would then make their choice. The examinees are in no position to question the captain's decision nor can they request to have their squad changed.
The captains voiced their selection by raising their hand when the number and name of the participant is called by the announcer.
In case a participant wishes to not join the squad he or she is selected in, they automatically have the right to refuse but then they will have to take the examination again next year in order to be able to enter the squad they wish to be a part.
There were rare cases where two or more captains would end up selecting one candidate for their squad. The decision then lies with the selected candidate to select the squad he or she wishes to be in. The captains have no say when the choice is upon the selected candidate.
"Number thirty-seven, Golden Dawn!" Letoile had been picked up by William. She had been offered by Blue Rose and Coral Peacock alongside Golden Dawn. Having gone through the options, she made her choice to be Golden Dawn.
"Number forty-two, Black Bulls!" As promised, Yami did claim his pair of wheels.
"Number forty-three, Golden Dawn!" Langris, sought after by more than half the captains, ultimately chose to join William's squad.
"Number fifty-six, Purple Orcas!" The zombie maker had also been selected into a squad, much to everyone's surprise.
"Number sixty-eight, Aqua Deer!" Altria was given the choice between Blue Rose and Aqua Deer and she ended up choosing Aqua Deer after being given some time to think about.
"Number seventy...." The announcer had to take a pause after calling out the number and name of the participant. Much to her and everyone's surprise, all the captains had raised their hands.
'Well that was oddly canonical.' Varre stepped forward, not bothering to look at the other participants who were murmuring to themselves on how all the captains wished for the sword magic user to be a part of their squad. He was well aware of the singular attention he had garnered.
He had been offered more than what Langris was offered, and that fact didn't sit well with the aforementioned noble, who could be seen having a resting mean face, a reaction to the current turn of events.
The captains and the participants all were curious about the choice Varre would be making. He glanced up at the captains who were staring back at him intently trying to figure out what squad he was thinking of joining. This was a once-in-a-lifetime choice for him. It was a decision which once taken, cannot be taken back.
'I had made up my mind anyway so let's get this over with.' Keeping his thoughts to himself, he cleared his throat before voicing his choice.
"The squad I wish to join is..."