Ch.174174. Week 2 Evaluation (10)

“Are you looking down on me…! Don’t get so cocky!!!”

The magical battle axe slices through the air once more, releasing a horizontal burst of magical energy.

But his opponent retreats, maintaining a precarious distance that’s just out of reach, then persistently attacks the openings created by the large movements.

“Kugh…!”

It’s just a measly fist. Not even a particularly hard hit, and barely any magical power behind it.

Yet despite not even taking the form of a weapon, somehow damage is steadily accumulating on his body.

His teeth ground together involuntarily at the sensation of being tapped each time his opponent slipped away like a loach.

“AAAAARGH!!!”

Enraged like he was with Rana, Demian swings his axe wildly in all directions.

With considerable magical power channeled into his magical weapon, the field is gouged, shattered, and collapsed in various places.

Yet the axe never manages to touch its intended target.

“Kuhurk!”

For all his rage, Demian is pushed back after taking hit after hit, grinding his teeth in frustration.

‘What, what exactly is happening here?’

The difference is obvious.

Power is ultimately proportional to magical capacity.

It was obvious that the one with more magical power would win.

One uses magical power to cast spells, and when mana accumulates densely in the magic circuit, one can endure prolonged combat well.

Moreover, the more magical power consumed, the stronger the spell one can use. This is the same rule regardless of which spell is used, even for simple enhancement magic.

Among the numerous powerful figures, none were known to lack magical capacity.

Whether it’s the Tembris party or the Arcab party. The same goes for those with Mizar-type magical power apart from them, and even legendary figures of the Empire.

Even if he has Mizar-type magical power, it’s the same.

Rather, he’s so ridiculously weak for a Mizar-type that it even raises suspicion.

How could this Junon, who is so weak, match humans who are different from birth?

But why is this pathetic man so easily pushing back magical power several times his own with barely any magical power contained within him?

‘No. I’m not being pushed back! If this becomes a long battle, he’ll tire out too!’

In a war of attrition, people naturally get tired.

Both physical strength and magical power. Demian believed he had the advantage in both.

‘Yes. There must be some trick. Him avoiding my attacks is just a trick!’

Just as others had been fooled, Demian reassured himself that he too was being deceived.

But such reassurance was of no use.

No matter how many times he attacks, he can’t land a hit. The only time Demian’s body makes contact with Junon is when he’s being hit.

A sense of crisis that he needed to find a special move overwhelmed Demian’s mind. And soon, Demian’s lips twitched.

‘Even so, you’ll fall for this too!’

Once again, he swings his magical weapon wildly like before.

As expected, Junon comes in to attack the deliberately exposed chest.

Tup.

Demian grabs Junon’s right arm.

He made it look like he was attacking and missed, but in reality, he deliberately left that opening.

Just like with Rana.

“Finally caught you, you little rat.”

Demian raises the corner of his mouth in a sneer.

He may have dodged well, but as expected, once the trap was set, he fell right into it. He became like a rat, perfectly caught in the trap.

“You’ve worked hard tickling me. Any last words?”

Whatever Junon might say, the outcome is already determined.

In this situation, what Demian wants is for Junon to kneel pathetically.

With Rana as a precedent, he should know what’s coming.

He wanted him to struggle in desperation, trying to escape the pain while consumed by fear.

When he finally showed submission, Demian planned to completely betray that expectation and retire him.

But Junon didn’t say what Demian wanted to hear.

“I let you catch me on purpose, you idiot.”

“Huh, this bastard starts making up all kinds of nonsense after getting caught? Do you think I’ll let you go because of that?”

“I wasn’t planning to ask you to let me go. Did you dream that? Or is that what you wish for?”

He’s even talking back brazenly, grating on Demian’s nerves.

“Oh really! Then follow that bitch to the infirmary!!”

Demian, unable to contain himself, immediately creates an axe.

With all his might, he swings it filled with magical power, enough to ensure Junon won’t come out unscathed.

He didn’t care what people would say after the match. For Demian, making his opponent writhe in pain and despair took priority over winning or losing.

Going a step further, he intended to leave a lasting impact even outside the field, just like with Rana.

But then…

Pachink!

“…Huh?”

There was a sound of something breaking, and immediately the axe Demian was holding disappeared.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

The direction of the blatant mockery had reversed.

***

Something unprecedented was happening.

When Demian had crushed Rana, she thought it wouldn’t matter much, but the situation changed strangely when the match was paused and Junon came up.

Still, it seemed like nothing would change even with Junon’s appearance.

Although there were some unsettling aspects and his reckless behavior was annoying, Demian’s innate magical capacity was clearly enormous.

But what was the reality?

Erika was doubting her own eyes.

‘What is that? The magical weapon he was holding vanished in an instant. How is that even possible?’

Was it right to say it disappeared?

Demian’s magical weapon lost its form the moment it touched Junon’s left arm.

It was as if Junon had shattered the axe-shaped magical weapon.

‘Is it cheating…? Yes. That could be it!’

Erika immediately hoped for an investigation into Junon’s foul play.

Demian, unable to hide his bewilderment, finally releases Junon’s arm. He too sensed that something was wrong.

—Referee! This bastard must have brought some prohibited item up here?!

Erika inwardly agreed, thinking, ‘That’s right!’

With such a strange occurrence, he must have borrowed power from some artifact.

A magical weapon is essentially a concentration of human magical power.

It’s true that they’re not very durable, and due to the high volatility of magical power, there are issues with Mirage-type magical weapons, but they can’t be broken by mere physical strength. They have enough durability to handle magical beasts, after all.

This is an unchangeable law, even for those with Mizar-type magical power.

‘But surely that guy couldn’t have mastered Shell-type magical weapons like Professor Muniher?’

She was certain that wasn’t possible.

Erika had clearly seen with her own eyes that he had simply imbued his fist with magical power.

Demian immediately protested, but Muniher, who had come down, snorted and said,

—Contestant Junon is competing without possessing anything. You should focus on competing earnestly.

He was indicating that there was no room for suspicion regarding Junon.

‘What? He didn’t bring anything up there?’

Then what explains the magical weapon disappearing right before their eyes?

She had expected at least an investigation for suspected foul play, which could potentially lead to a windfall of disqualification if detected.

But contrary to Erika’s expectations, Junon possessed no equipment whatsoever.

‘This doesn’t make sense.’

Everyone knows that a Mirage-type magical weapon can’t be broken by physical strength.

Was the magical power Demian put into his weapon insufficient? He wouldn’t do such a thing at a decisive moment.

No matter how much Erika racked her brain, no answer emerged.

Meanwhile, at some point, Demian had started backing away.

Every time he attempts an attack, his magical weapon shatters. No matter how he attacks, no matter how desperately he charges, he’s pushed back by Junon.

“…”

The intention was obvious.

Despite being able to decide the match, he wasn’t ending it and wasn’t inflicting any significant damage.

This was revenge for Rana, the 1st seed contestant from Sirah.

“Michelle. Sorry, but I’m going to get up first.”

“But Aris’s match hasn’t even started yet?”

“I’m feeling a bit low on sugar. I think I need to go outside and eat something.”

Whether it was revenge or whatever, she didn’t really care.

What she wanted was for Junon to be utterly defeated and disappear from her sight.

She had gathered people who would spread rumors. She had even secretly approached Mirpark Road School for that purpose!

Everything had gone to waste.

She had hoped that Aris would come out and Junon would be quietly forgotten, but the result was the opposite.

To an uninformed observer, it would look like an intense battle, and the arena was now filled with excitement.

In reality, Junon was toying with Demian.

It was a scene that made Erika frown involuntarily.

‘Ha, fine. You clearly won this time.’

Given the previous incident, the match wouldn’t be stopped.

Junon intends to decide the match slowly, dragging it out to make Demian feel helpless.

With such a performance, it’s natural that he would be in the spotlight.

‘But just wait. Your true nature will be revealed someday.’

With that thought, Erika left her seat in the stands.

***

“Huff, huff… You crazy bastard.”

Eventually, it was Demian who ran out of magical power first.

“I didn’t think you’d last less than 5 minutes. And you called Rana trash?”

“Shut your mouth, you son of a—!”

Pachink!

“Kugh!”

As can be inferred from the different sound, it was clearly a different attack than before.

As a result, a haze appears in Demian’s vision. A ringing sensation comes to his head, and his body’s balance begins to waver.

By now, the magical power he had been using abundantly is nearly depleted, and his body is continuously releasing cold sweat and labored breaths.

‘This… he’s only using this now…?’

It felt like facing an enormous wall.

He hadn’t even been using this much power while dominating the match until now. Using magical power only for enhancement magic, not even his unique magic.

He thought it wouldn’t be any different from before, but the reality was completely different.

He broke the magical weapon.

Even if it’s a Mirage-type magical weapon, which is essentially a lump of magical power, how could it be broken?

Junon, who scattered the magical power used for enhancement in all directions, seemed like an insurmountable wall to Demian.

As soon as Junon uttered a single sentence, Demian’s pride, which had been hanging on the edge of a cliff, finally sinks completely.

“Unlike you, Rana lasted over 20 minutes. So, does that mean Rana, whom you called trash, is at least four times stronger than you? You weak bastard.”

“You, you bastard…!!!”

“What? According to your own words, it’s survival of the fittest, so if you, who are weaker than me, could only last that long, it means Rana is stronger.”

His teeth grind, but Demian couldn’t express this frustration.

Because it wasn’t Junon who faced a humiliating defeat, but himself.

“And you know what? It’s not over yet.”

“What…?”

What else could be left? Demian, who was terrified, now realized what Junon was about to do and immediately tried to raise his hand.

“F-fuck… Let go of this! Let go!”

But it was futile. By restricting the movement of his arms with his unique magic, the magic shield, the one ray of hope of surrendering was gone.

“Kehek, kek!”

“Since you might suddenly move and counterattack, I have no choice, right?”

“You bas… Hng… Urgh…!”

And so, Demian received his accumulated karma in full as he was beaten until he lost consciousness.

This is one-sided violence.

However, most of the spectators watching wouldn’t know what was happening in the arena.

Except that Demian had pathetically tried to hold on before choosing the path of defeat.

Even Muniher, who was watching closely, didn’t stop this.

‘He brought it upon himself. It seems Demian was the only one who injected emotion into this.’

He seemed to understand that there was a reason for this. More than that, he was keeping an eye on Junon’s growth.

‘Now he’s going around breaking everything, is he?’

Not only was he using Anti-Cast, an upgraded version of the technique he was researching, but now he was also disrupting the opponent’s magical power to block magic as an attack method.

He had developed to another level in a completely different direction without anyone noticing.

The Shell-type magical weapon that Muniher had shown before the start of the faction battle was a smokescreen.

While everyone might have agonized over this task, it was actually an impossible one, implying that they should grow in a different way rather than the prescribed path.

For that reason, Junon deserved not a deduction but a generous bonus.

‘Hmph, he remains a troublemaker as always.’

As Muniher raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk, the match ended.

“The winner, Sirah’s 2nd seed, Junon!”