Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 66: Episode

Dick’s match hadn’t been flashy, but it was captivating in its own way. While Simon and Kamibarez applauded from the stands, Meirin rested her chin on her hand, looking unimpressed.

"Ugh, my own teammate won, so why do I feel so embarrassed?"

"Hahaha!"

’—Student Meirin Villenne of Class A and student Ivan Barshany of Class C, please report to the waiting room.’

Hearing the announcement, Meirin stood. "Well, I’m off to win this quickly."

"You can do it, Meirin!" Kamibarez cheered.

"Do well," Simon added.

On her way to the waiting room, Meirin crossed paths with Dick, who was heading up to the stands. Beaming, Dick held up his hand for a high-five, but Meirin just sniffed haughtily and walked past him.

"Tsk. She doesn’t have an ounce of friendliness in her," Dick grumbled before high-fiving Simon and Kamibarez instead. As the three of them chatted excitedly about the duel, Meirin appeared in the center of the arena. Her opponent was Ivan Barshany from Class C, a Combat Magic aspirant with a powerful build.

"This one will be interesting, too," Dick said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It’s a question of whether Ivan can close the distance before Meirin takes him out."

"Go, Meirin!" Kamibarez shouted.

Following the referee’s instructions, Meirin and Ivan met for a handshake.

"I didn’t expect to face such a big shot in the first round," Ivan said with a wide smile.

"You should consider this moment an honor for your family, commoner," Meirin replied, pulling her hand back and crossing her arms arrogantly. "Because soon, you won’t even be able to look me in the eye."

"Hmm, maybe so. Still, I think getting trampled by a commoner right now will be a good experience for you."

"Ha-ha."

After a brief, tense exchange, the two turned and walked to their starting positions. Ivan was a former boxer, his body honed into a weapon through years of relentless training. Meirin, by contrast, was slender and delicate, looking as if she’d never done a day of hard labor in her life. Finally, they stood facing each other. The referee checked on both students, then lowered his arm.

"Match start!"

The instant the match began, Ivan exploded off the ground, charging straight for Meirin. ’Don’t give her a chance to do anything! Overwhelm her...!’ Suddenly, his pupils dilated. A wall of black fire erupted directly in his path.

Ivan slammed on the brakes, swerving hard to avoid the flames. That was a close call. Even through his protective suit, he could feel the intense heat, and beads of sweat dripped from his brow.

"Oh my, how predictable," Meirin said, a small black flame dancing on the tip of her index finger. "Did you really think a simple-minded charge was enough to win here?"

The battle fell into a rhythm: Meirin unleashed a barrage of fireballs, and Ivan dodged, searching for an opening.

Watching from the stands, Simon let out a gasp of admiration. "Incredible. She can already cast Dark Flare that quickly?"

"No," Dick said, shaking his head. "That’s a Jet-Black elemental spell, a tier below Dark Flare. A full Dark Flare takes much longer to cast."

Jet-black elemental magic was a modern necromantic recreation of the elemental spells once used by pure mages. Whether flame or ice, the magic was characterized by a faint blackish tint. It was far faster to cast than traditional magic, more powerful, and easier to control. In every sense, it was a complete upgrade.

"Spoken like a true child of the Ivory Tower," Dick remarked.

In the past, the Ivory Tower had been a sanctuary for mages, often called the Magic Tower. But over time, it had adapted, and now necromancers formed its mainstream. Still, some of its old traditions remained. Most necromancers from the Ivory Tower specialized in Jet-Black elemental magic rooted in Jet-black Dynamics, and Meirin was no exception.

"Haaah!" Meirin swung her arm, and the flames stretched into a long wall, blocking Ivan’s path. He leaped back just in time, panting for breath.

[Meirin Villenne: 100%]

[Ivan Barshany: 71%]

’She’s tough. I’ve only been dodging, and my barrier is already this low...’ Ivan wiped his mouth and doubled the amount of Jet-Black circulating through his body, feeling a surge of heat. ’Don’t get anxious. Just keep her distracted, prevent her from casting any big spells. I just need one chance. One...!’

"I told you before, didn’t I, commoner?" Meirin smiled, revealing the left hand she had kept hidden behind her back. "You’re simple-minded."

’FWOOOOOOOOOSH!’

A black flame, incomparably larger than anything she had cast before, roared to life in her palm. Ivan’s jaw dropped. ’When... when did she cast Dark Flare?!’

In truth, Meirin had only recently mastered the art of multi-casting. While her right hand had been firing off rapid, low-level flame spells, her left had been slowly and deliberately preparing a full-powered Dark Flare. With this new skill, the top student of Class A had taken another step toward perfection.

Now that she had Dark Flare at the ready, she had no more need for petty diversions. She let her right hand fall to her side and focused on feeding the flame in her left.

"The match is over," she declared. "Will you continue?"

"I think it’s a bit early to be saying that!" The corner of Ivan’s mouth twisted into a defiant smirk. His heart hammered against his ribs, his blood boiling. ’No matter how powerful the spell, it’s useless if you can’t hit your target!’

Ivan launched himself forward, moving so fast he seemed to leave afterimages in his wake. Just as Meirin prepared to unleash her spell, he veered in the opposite direction. She flinched, pulling her hand back. If she had cast it then, she would have wasted the Dark Flare she had worked so hard to create. ’Heh, she won’t risk throwing it away!’

Among the Combat Magic aspirants, Ivan was a speed specialist. For the next one or two minutes, with his tempo at its absolute peak, he was confident he was the fastest student in Kizen.

He circled Meirin, toying with her. She kept the Dark Flare aimed forward, her head and body swiveling to track him, but she couldn’t seem to get a lock.

’Do you get it now, noble? The power of a spell and victory in a real fight are two completely different things!’

Ivan abruptly stopped his circling, appearing behind Meirin before lunging forward like a flash of light. His Jet-Black-enhanced fist shot toward the back of her head. He could taste victory.

However.

Meirin’s shoulder twisted, her head tilting just enough for the blow to miss.

’She reacted to that?!’

His fist sliced through empty air. For a split second, their eyes met, and she gave him a triumphant smile.

"Did you really think my combat skills were weak?"

The seething dark flame in her left hand instantly engulfed Ivan’s body.

The two fighters shot past each other. The spectators closest to the arena shielded their faces from the heat of the massive explosion.

[Meirin Villenne: 94%]

[Ivan Barshany: 0%]

The referee raised his arm. "Match over! The winner is student Meirin Villenne!"

Engulfed in black flames, Ivan sank to his knees, a look of utter disbelief on his face. Meirin casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled sweetly. "Try harder, commoner. In the lower squads."

Applause and praise rained down from the stands for her nearly flawless performance.

"Ugh," Dick snickered. "She’s insufferable, but she’s too good to criticize."

Simon smiled and nodded. "At Kizen, skill is everything."

Watching Meirin, he found himself lost in thought.

If he kept winning, he mused, the day would eventually come when he would have to face Meirin. How would he even begin to counter her Dark Flare?

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden silence from his right. Simon turned his head.

Kamibarez’s face was ashen, her leg bouncing uncontrollably.

"...Kami?"

"It’s my turn," she whispered, her fingers twisting in her lap. "Simon, Dick, and Meirin all won. If I... if I can just do my part..."

"Hey, don’t put so much pressure on yourself," Simon said gently.

Meirin had returned to the stands, her face still beaming from her victory. Seeing Kamibarez’s state, however, she quickly tempered her excitement.

Two more matches passed after Meirin’s return, and with each passing moment, Kamibarez grew paler.

"Guys! Look!" Dick’s arm shot out, pointing. "It’s Professor Silage! He came to watch the—!"

Simon clamped a hand over Dick’s mouth, but it was too late. Meirin shot Dick a look of profound pity.

"You’re so hopelessly clueless."

It was only natural that Silage, the professor of Hemomancy, would take an interest in Kamibarez, a vampire from the esteemed Ursula family. At the sight of him, Kamibarez’s trembling intensified. Dick scratched his head, his face burning with embarrassment.

Just then, an announcement came through. "Student Kamibarez Ursula of Class A and student Egir Atelier of Class C, please report to the waiting room."

"I-I’ll be going now!" she squeaked, bolting from her seat. The three of them rallied around her, offering more earnest encouragement than ever before.

"What’s Egir’s style?" Simon asked after she had gone. He was starting to find this whole dueling evaluation rather exciting.

"The epitome of textbook," Dick summarized. "He doesn’t excel in any one area, so he’ll likely fight by combining various fundamentals. I’m curious to see how an aggressive hemomancer like Kami will break through his defense."

"In terms of raw power, our Kami is overwhelmingly superior. She’s an Ursula, after all," Meirin remarked, crossing her arms. "The only problem is how nervous she’ll get..."

"Yeah," Simon agreed.

A moment later, Kamibarez and Egir walked to the center of the arena. Egir was a tall, clean-cut young man who shook hands with Kamibarez at the referee’s instruction.

"Good luck," Egir said.

"L-Likewise... it’s a pleasure..." she stammered back, her voice utterly devoid of confidence. Egir, who had been picturing a ferocious Ursula vampire, was taken aback by her timid demeanor.

’Is she really an Ursula?’ he wondered. Seeing the dejected girl, he felt a pang of pity, but he knew he couldn’t afford to go easy on her.

Soon, the two put some distance between them and activated their Cores, preparing for battle.

"Are both students ready?" the referee called.

"Yes!" Egir confirmed.

"Yes..." Kamibarez whispered.

The referee nodded.

"Then, the dueling evaluation between Kamibarez Ursula and Egir Atelier will now begin." Amidst the palpable tension, the referee’s arm dropped. "Begin!"