The moment the match started, Egir opened his Subspace and summoned three skeletons. Kamibarez formed a pistol with her right hand and took aim. It was the stance for 'Blood Bullet'.
"I'm sorry!" she cried out, apologizing even as she attacked. A blood-red magic circle flared at the tip of her index finger, and with a sharp recoil, the bullet shot forward.
"Oh, right," Dick added from the stands. "There's one more important thing about Egir."
Just before Kamibarez's explosive projectile could find its mark, Egir's skeletons moved to intercept it.
'BOOM!'
A crimson explosion erupted, engulfing the area in smoke. Kamibarez flinched, her shoulders hunched as she peered into the haze.
[Kamibarez: 100%]
[Egir: 100%]
No damage was dealt. As the smoke cleared, it revealed the three skeletons, now holding massive golden shields.
"Egir is incredibly rich," Dick explained, pushing his bangs back. "He equipped his skeletons with shields that cost several hundred Gold apiece. And those aren't just any skeletons; they're 'Snowfield Gnolls' from the premium Vanilla brand."
"Hey! That's a really important detail!" Simon exclaimed.
"Of course I told Kami about it," Dick retorted.
Having blocked the ranged attack with his expensive gear, Egir launched his own assault, sending a volley of Jet-Black Arrows into the air.
"Ugh! Aah!" Kamibarez yelped, hopping around to dodge the incoming projectiles. At that moment, everyone watching—man, woman, and child—had the exact same thought.
'She's adorable...'
Though she avoided being hit, the final arrow sent her tumbling to the ground with a whimper. Egir reconsidered his strategy. 'She's more agile than she looks. I can't catch her with arrows.'
He recalled the projectiles and began tracing a new magic circle on his palm. Seeing this, Dick's eyes widened.
"He's preparing a curse! Kami, do something!"
Kamibarez gritted her teeth and fired another Blood Bullet from a kneeling position. But for all its explosive power, it was a simple linear attack, easily blocked by the golden shields. At this rate, the curse would be completed. She had no choice but to cease her attack and begin weaving a spell of her own. A tense silence fell as both students focused on their magic, the duel shifting into a casting showdown.
'Blood Silk'
Kamibarez finished first. A carpet woven from blood unfurled from her fingertips.
"Ugh, that's a mistake! What's she going to do with a spell that has no attack power?" Dick muttered, scratching his head in frustration.
Meirin snorted. "If you don't know what you're looking at, just trust her and watch, you idiot."
From her Subspace, Kamibarez produced three potions she had crafted herself. The Blood Silk enveloped the vials and shot toward Egir.
'Something's coming,' Egir thought, directing his skeletons to swing their swords.
'Swoosh! Swoooosh!'
But his control was crude, lacking the finesse of a true Summoning major. His skeletons' clumsy, flailing attacks couldn't catch Kamibarez's magic as it slithered past them like an eel.
'Just a little more!' Kamibarez urged silently.
The moment the Blood Silk reached him, Egir finally completed his curse.
'Bahil Remake - Paralyze'
A bolt of black lightning shot from the magic circle. Kamibarez, still focused on controlling her spell, couldn't dodge in time and took the full force of the curse. But even as the magic struck, she maintained her concentration. The blood carpet spread wide, shattering the potions directly against Egir's body.
'CRASH!'
It happened almost simultaneously.
Egir, drenched in the potion, tried to move his arm, but his limbs felt impossibly heavy. 'Don't tell me her potion was for paralysis, too!'
He grimaced as Kamibarez panted, her own legs trembling uncontrollably. Both of them were paralyzed.
'A curse versus a potion,' Egir calculated, a sense of victory blooming in his chest. 'The potion's effect will wear off first. And more importantly... I still have my skeletons!'
He extended his right arm, connecting to his summons' consciousness to issue an attack command while his left hand began preparing a second Paralyze spell.
Kamibarez's response was unexpected.
'One stack is still manageable. I can move.'
She charged.
Dragging her paralyzed body forward, she broke into a run. Egir's skeletons swung their swords to block her, but she ducked under their attacks or simply absorbed the blows she couldn't avoid, her focus unwavering.
'Close combat?' Egir thought in alarm.
He hastily canceled the curse and summoned a cluster of Jet-Black Arrows. Kamibarez threw her arms over her head and pressed her relentless charge. The arrows raked across her body, tearing at her uniform.
[Kamibarez: 58%]
[Egir: 100%]
'She's taking all that damage just to close the distance?' Realizing the gravity of the situation, Egir frantically gathered Jet-Black energy into his fists. He was a decent fighter, confident he wouldn't lose to such a small girl, especially when they were both paralyzed.
"Aaaah!" Kamibarez screamed.
But as she closed the final distance, Egir realized something was terribly wrong. Her pupils had narrowed into vertical slits, like those of a predator.
With her arms spread wide, Kamibarez leaped and clung to him. Egir staggered back and fell.
"Wh-What the—!" he sputtered, his face flushing red as she wrapped herself around him. Kamibarez opened her mouth, her fangs glinting sharply.
'CHOMP!'
She bit down on his neck. The protective suit's barrier prevented any real pain, but the shock of it was immense.
'After all that, she's just... biting me?'
Egir tried to push her head away, but she was stuck to him like a leech. "Ughh, hey! What do you think you're doing in a sacred duel—! Huh?"
[Kamibarez: 58%]
[Egir: 84%]
Just by biting, his gauge was dropping. Belatedly grasping the situation, Egir coated his fists in Jet-Black and hammered at her head. A bluish barrier shimmered around her, absorbing the blows. Her gauge depleted, but she took no actual damage.
[Kamibarez: 51%]
[Egir: 64%]
'No way...!' The numbers were plummeting at a rapid rate. Her biting force was no joke. Panicked, Egir thrashed, trying to dislodge her, but she held on with ferocious tenacity.
[Kamibarez: 43%]
[Egir: 21%]
"This is crazy! What is this?! Get off!" he yelled. Between the paralysis and his awkward position, his punches had no power. The rate of his gauge loss only accelerated, until finally...
"Match over!" the referee shouted.
The final result was displayed.
[Kamibarez: 37%]
[Egir: 0%]
"The winner is Kamibarez Ursula!"
A stunned silence fell over the arena as everyone's mouths hung open.
'...I-I lost.' Egir's expression was dazed. He had been so sure of his victory when they were both paralyzed. He never imagined a single charge could shatter his strategy so easily. 'It was my own carelessness. I completely underestimated her.'
As he was sighing internally, Kamibarez carefully pulled away from his neck.
'Come to think of it, I was almost bitten by a real vampire, wasn't I?' A shiver ran down his spine. He looked at Kamibarez and saw that her ears were bright red and her eyes were welling with tears.
"I'm sorry!" she cried, bowing her head deeply. "I'm really, really sorry! I just wanted to win so badly that I... Are you hurt?"
"Uh, no."
"My, my! I'm so sorry!"
"Hey, it was a fair duel. What are you sorry for?" Egir found himself consoling the victor. "That was a brilliant move."
Soft chuckles rippled through the stands at the bizarre scene. As he watched Kamibarez tearfully fuss over his imaginary wounds, Egir felt his heart flutter.
'...Wow. I never knew there was a girl this cute at Kizen.'
After a while, Kamibarez calmed down, and they both stood up as the staff began cleaning the arena floor.
'Sh-Should I try talking to her?' Wanting to get to know her better, Egir took a tentative step closer.
"Kami! Are you okay?" a male voice called from the stands.
Kamibarez, who had been hiding her face in her hands, snapped her head toward the sound and waved enthusiastically.
"Yes! Simon! I won!" she chirped, bouncing on her feet with a smile as bright as the sun. She then turned back to Egir, startled, and bowed apologetically. "Ah! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were right next to me!"
Egir nodded magnanimously, though he was crying on the inside. '...Ah. That was a short-lived crush.'
Meanwhile, the stands were buzzing with talk of Kamibarez's victory.
"Hahaha! That was amazing!" Dick roared with laughter. "Kami's probably the only one in Kizen who could win like that!"
"Her decision to charge while paralyzed and take all those hits was incredible," Simon added.
"I'll give you that! So the paralysis was just a setup for her charge."
"Our little Kami can do anything when she puts her mind to it!" Meirin declared proudly.
Just then, Kamibarez arrived at their section, looking incredibly relieved.
"Guys!"
They all stood to welcome her as she trotted over.
"You did great, Kami!" Meirin said, pulling her into a tight hug. "Aww, you're so small and precious!"
"M-Meirin! I can't breathe!"
Simon and Dick joined in, laughing as they patted her head and offered their congratulations. With that, every member of Group 7 had secured their first crucial victory. All four would advance to the Intermediate Squad for the next phase of the dueling evaluation.
A blissful weekend awaited them. They had been running nonstop for what felt like weeks, and Simon planned to finally take a well-deserved rest. He could wander through the necromancer shops in Rochest, do some leisurely window shopping...
"Yeah, there's no time to rest," Meirin stated flatly. "You do know midterms are the week after next, right?"
"Uhh...?"
It hit him like a physical blow. Midterms were only a week away. Simon, who had been completely focused on the duels, felt his stomach drop. He'd also confidently declared he would beat Meirin's Summoning grade, a promise that now seemed impossibly daunting.
'This is no time to be lazing around.'
The urgency of his situation set in. As soon as he got back to his dorm, he grabbed his textbook and headed for the study hall.
'...Wow.'
Great minds, it seemed, thought alike. Despite it being the start of the weekend, the vast study hall was packed. The silence was so absolute it felt chilly, as if the students had forgotten how to breathe. A fresh wave of anxiety washed over Simon as he slid into the last empty seat.
'I'm fairly confident in Summoning, so let's work on my weaker subjects tonight.'
He opened his Jet-Black Dynamics textbook and began to study.
Ten minutes later...
'...I-I definitely learned this in class, right? Why don't I understand a single word of it?'
This was nothing like his practical training. Studying alone, he was hitting a wall, and it was painfully clear he needed a new plan.
The next morning, Meirin yawned, a toothbrush hanging from her mouth as she shuffled down the hallway in her pajamas, still half-asleep. "I can't with these roommates. It takes them a full hour to shower." It was obvious what they were up to. Midterms or not, they were heading to Rochest to meet boys again.
As Meirin grumbled on her way to the communal bathhouse, a familiar voice called out.
"Meirin!"
A dormitory staff member she knew came jogging up to her. Meirin stopped.
"There's a male student at the entrance looking for you!"
"Wh-What? Who, this early?"
"I didn't get a name, but he was a cute-looking pretty boy," the staff member said with a wink before continuing on her way.
Meirin's face soured. 'Ew... Wait, the only guys I know are those two.'
The bathhouse was too far. She spun around and sprinted back to her room. The bathroom door was still shut. She kicked it hard.
"Hurry up and get out, you wench! I have to take a dump!"
"Aaaaaah!"
After forcefully evicting her roommate, Meirin made herself look effortlessly presentable, threw the jacket of her Kizen uniform over her shoulders, and dashed out.
A moment later, she stood at the entrance, a dumbfounded smile spreading across her face.
"That 'cute-looking pretty boy'... was you?"
Simon scratched the side of his head. "Who said that?"

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