第２７２堀：青春、駆け抜けろ (Part1)
Chapter 272: Sprint Through Your Youth
Sprint Through Your Youth
Side: Yuki
"And so, it begins!! How will both sides move?! Since this is primarily a magic-based battle, it’s rare for them to close the distance for swordplay like mercenaries!!"
"Indeed. Neither side is moving yet; it seems they are both preparing to cast their spells."
Ratz and Eris are providing the play-by-play, but looking at their faces, they’re clearly dying of excitement to see what I’ll do.
If I end this with a one-hit KO, it’ll be a real letdown for the crowd. I want to give Eoid some time to calm his nerves, so I think I’ll go with *that* method.
While I’m deciding on my approach, Ardes seems to have finished his incantation. He looks at me with a smirk.
"Hahahaha!! I’ve finished my chant first!! So much for being stronger than the Principal!! You’re even slower at chanting than I am!"
"Eh, no. I wasn't chanting."
"Huh?"
There’s no need to chant.
"Mocking me, are you?! Without an incantation, your power will be significantly lower! Do you really think you can defend against my chanted magic with that?!"
With that, Ardes thrusts a mass of magical power toward me. Since it’s bound by magical laws, that energy passes through, converts, and manifests as a physical phenomenon—magic.
"Oh! It’s Ardes who moves first!! Is that fire!?"
"It appears so. According to the records, Ardes is a user of fire magic. Since he reached 13th place in the Academy with that, we can assume it’s quite a formidable spell."
Just as the commentators said, fire spills out from his outstretched hand, scattering in every direction.
"Ooh..."
The crowd lets out a murmur of admiration at seeing magic they rarely get to witness. Honestly, though, scattering fire like that is just proof of poor control.
"I’ll burn your face so badly you won't be able to show it to anyone! Don't worry, I’ll let you live!"
"…I appreciate that."
"How long are you going to keep that relaxed look on your face? Prepare yourself!"
"…No, are you not going to hurry up?"
I’m the one waiting for *your* move here.
"Fine then!! Scream all you want! Firestorm!"
At Ardes’ shout, the spell completes. What towers before me isn't just a simple tornado; it’s a storm of flames, turning the wind into a vortex that burns everything in its path.
"It’s out!! This is Ardes’ fire magic!"
"That’s a Firestorm. His file explicitly states, in his own handwriting, that it’s his most honed finishing move. Is he an idiot for revealing his trump card so easily?"
Eris, you really are merciless.
"Now, the Firestorm is closing in!! What will Yuki do?! Or rather, just do it already, big brother!!"
"Yes, please go wild, Yuki-san!!"
…I’m going to have to tell them not to be so biased in their announcements next time. Or maybe this is a special case? Ardes was the one who picked a fight with my wives, after all. He might think he picked a fight with me, but in reality, those words were directed at them.
However, this Firestorm isn't actually that fast. It’s inching toward me on purpose. Looking at Ardes in the distance, he’s watching me without letting his guard down.
…I see. He’s prepared to follow up if I try to dodge. He fired it under the assumption that I *would* dodge. He’s actually constructing a battle strategy in his head.
In that case, I’ll just have to overturn it with my own method.
"Eh? B-big brother?"
"H-he’s taken a stance!?"
The two commentators gasp in surprise. Well, that’s to be expected. I’ve never taken a stance before. Even during training with my wives, I just stood there lazily.
I shift my weight, pull my left hand back to face height, clench my right hand and pull it deep to the side of my chest, and drop my knees.
Yes, the technique often called the foundation of martial arts.
A straight punch.
"Hmph!"
I steady my breath, add a twist to my body, and thrust my fist toward the storm of fire in front of me.
*Boom!*
With that sound, the Firestorm vanishes, and Ardes, who was preparing his follow-up in the back, is blown away along with it.
"Gwah!? W-what just happened!?"
Ardes had prepared himself well enough that, despite being blown away and tumbling, he manages to regain his footing immediately.
Yeah, yeah. He actually understands what a battle is. He’s not just some arrogant noble. It’s a shame his motivations are so disappointing. Well, at least he’s easy to read. Is this what they call the folly of youth?
Ardes regains his stance and remains on guard, but I don't follow up. I stay in my stance, unmoving.
"..."
Ardes is puzzled by my lack of follow-up, but seeing me still in my stance, he doesn't carelessly fire another spell. He knows it would just end the same way as before. That’s a correct judgment.
"Ah! I was just mesmerized by how cool big brother looked. Now, what do the special judges think of the techniques used by both sides?"
Ratz says this and moves the microphone toward the special judges one by one. The camera zooms in on the Mercenary Guild Master, Lamba.
…Right, since commentary is part of these duels anyway, I might as well let them stall for time. Ardes is glaring at me, but his ears are twitching as he listens to the Guild Master, who is clearly his superior.
Yeah, I really do think this kid has talent.
"Should I just talk into this?"
"Yes. It will be amplified just like this."
"So it seems. Then, since I don't know when they’ll clash again, I’ll be brief. From my perspective as a Mercenary Guild Master, Ardes-kun’s attack was quite effective and logical. I suspect he intentionally unleashed a slow-moving Firestorm, intending to follow up the moment Yuki-kun dodged."
"Ooh..."
The murmur of admiration spreads. As expected of a Guild Master, he can judge these things.
"However, Yuki-kun’s punch that blew it all away in an instant… he likely infused wind magic into his fist to strike, a brilliant strategy to blow away both the Firestorm and Ardes-kun in the back. No, in that situation, it was the best move. The only regret is that Yuki-kun’s wind magic was offset, leaving Ardes-kun only blown away. If the power had been higher, the match would have been decided in an instant."
…He doesn't realize I was holding back. Not that it would help if he did.