A dazzling radiance fountained from Herseva, the staff embedded in the ground.
The inky blackness of the floor, a canvas painted by Domain Reversal, began to bleed into a dense, molten gold.
"What in the world...?" Elisa, Special Admission No. 7, watched from the stands, a cold sweat beading on her forehead. "That’s not black magic! That’s an Innate Ability!"
’Heh heh heh.’
Dick, seated beside her, let out a smug chuckle. Elisa’s head whipped around to face him.
"Hey, you little merchant! What’s going on?" she demanded.
"It’s just as it looks," he purred. "Simon can do this sort of thing now."
She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Cut the theatrics and give me a straight answer! Has Simon always had an Innate Ability? Or was he just hiding it, finally getting serious because he’s up against Chatel?"
"Simon is...!"
The answer came not from Dick, but from the girl on his other side. Kamibarez placed a hand over her heart, her expression earnest.
"He has never once held back."
Benya, beside her, nodded emphatically in agreement.
Elisa flushed. "Alright, I get it. No need to get so serious."
"It’s just as she said," Dick added with a shrug. "That’s a power Simon only recently acquired."
"Innate Abilities are something you’re born with. What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Heh heh!’ If you don’t get it, then just shut up and watch," Dick taunted. "Since he’s using that technique here, it’s clear Simon has no intention of hiding his power any longer."
Inside the arena.
Chatel was reeling. Even with his Domain Reversal blanketing the entire arena, he couldn’t manipulate the sections of the floor that had been transmuted to gold by that staff. It was a power that directly opposed his own, a golden territory that was expanding by the second, pushing back his domain.
And standing defiantly upon that gilded earth was Simon Polentia. A shimmering, banner-like cloth—or perhaps they were bandages—swirled around his dueling suit like an ethereal garment. This was no martial artist’s Black Garment, nor was it a Jet-Black Veil. It was an Innate Ability. Simon Polentia was using an Innate Ability.
"You look surprised," Simon remarked, a faint smile playing on his lips as he raised his hands. "The counterattack starts now."
At his gesture, the entire arena quaked with a deep, resonant rumble, and something began to rise from the golden ground.
It was the roof of a building. Then another, and another. A vast, sprawling city began to emerge from the floor, revealing itself as if unearthed from centuries of slumber.
The heavy ’thud’ of countless footsteps echoed across the golden pavement as monsters swathed in bandages shambled forth from the doorways of the newly formed structures. A chorus of screams and gasps erupted from the stands.
"Mummies!"
"They’re actual mummies!"
A wave of shocked murmurs rippled through the audience.
The appearance of an ancient undead, a creature spoken of only in legends, sent a shockwave through the crowd. Chatel knew he could no longer afford to be a spectator. He triggered his Domain Reversal on a patch of ground untouched by the golden transformation, ripping a slab of the floor free and launching it like a cannonball.
Simon saw it coming and casually ducked behind a building.
The stone projectile shattered against the golden architecture in a deafening crash, the impact unleashing a roar that threatened to split their eardrums.
"Go!" Simon commanded.
At his shout, the mummies lurched forward. They resembled zombies wrapped in linen, but they were larger, faster, and their movements were unnervingly fluid.
As the horde of mummies surged toward him, Chatel’s expression hardened, and he focused his will on his black magic.
’Domain Reversal – Adjustment’
He threw up a wall of solid earth to halt their advance, then tore fragments, soil, and gravel from the arena floor, lifting them into the air.
He reassembled the debris in mid-air, a brief process that sharpened the fragments into deadly, pointed awls. The moment Chatel lowered his palm, the signal was given.
A massive bombardment of stone rained down upon the entire city in a deafening barrage.
"Whoa...!"
Stunned gasps echoed through the stands. Simon, the city builder, versus Chatel, the city destroyer. Their battle had long since transcended the scope of a typical duel evaluation.
A thick cloud of dust billowed up with a low rumble, obscuring the golden city.
Having unleashed such a wide-scale attack with a single gesture, Chatel calmly glanced at the monitor. He checked the barrier gauge, disappointed to see that Simon had avoided the attack.
A sudden gust of wind of movement behind him made Chatel glance over his shoulder.
"Huh?"
A mummy had already circled around and thrown its bandages, ensnaring his left arm.
The others followed suit. Bandages shot out like whips, slithering through the air to wrap around Chatel’s arms, head, and thighs. He tried to tear them away with brute force, but their grip was surprisingly strong.
The towering wall Chatel had erected was now being effortlessly scaled by mummies using their bandages as ropes. For undead, their dexterity with the wrappings was remarkable. The situation was becoming dangerous.
Chatel grunted, his eyes blazing with intensity.
’Domain Reversal – Control’
Spears of earth erupted from the floor, impaling the mummies that bound him. He then brought the wall crashing down, burying the climbing undead in a landslide of rock and soil. After clearing his immediate vicinity, Chatel scanned his surroundings.
He was completely surrounded. His right and left flanks, as well as his rear, were all enveloped in a golden glow, leaving only the small patch of ground he stood on untouched. It was like a game of territorial conquest. Soon, buildings would rise from those areas too, and more mummies would emerge.
"It’s useless, Chatel," Simon’s voice echoed from within the city. "There’s no escaping this place."
A deafening roar erupted from the crowd.
The entire arena shimmered with golden light, and everyone watched, mesmerized by Simon’s brilliant new technique. Even the second and third-year students were cheering and applauding without restraint.
"That’s insane. How can a first-year control dozens of undead?"
"There must be at least forty of them."
"Who does he think he is, a legion commander?"
"Whatever it is, it’s not simple telepathic contact."
The students were completely absorbed, trying to analyze and understand the novel magic before them.
Ultimately, Chatel was forced to change his strategy. He raised more fragments from the floor, shaping them into sharp, circular blades. As soon as the fifteen saws were complete, he bent his knees and launched himself toward the city.
’Kwooooong!’
He landed in the city center where Simon had been, crushing two mummies underfoot. The buildings had grown taller, now rivaling Chatel’s own ten-foot frame.
But this was the heart of enemy territory. Mummies swarmed him from all sides. Chatel swung his arm.
’Wheeeeeee!’
The circular saws roared to life. They spun around him like a protective vortex, slicing clean through the hordes of mummies that pressed in. Undead were bisected left and right. Others, pouring from the rooftops, flung their bandages, but the saws shredded them effortlessly. Though he had never encountered these creatures before, Chatel had already formulated a perfect counter-strategy.
The hunt was on, his heavy footsteps thudding through the city as he searched for Simon. Finally, he spotted his target scrambling down a narrow alley. Chatel accelerated in pursuit.
Sensing a presence from behind, he spun around just in time to see a zombie, bound in bandages, hurtling through the air.
A mummy had weaponized one of the zombies, binding it with its wrappings and throwing it like a projectile. Simultaneously, Simon clenched his right fist.
’Corpse Explosion’
The zombie detonated with a deafening roar. The force of the blast sent even the mighty Chatel staggering, and he collapsed to the ground.
[Simon Polentia: 98%]
[Chatel Maer: 87%]
"He got him!"
"That’s the first time Chatel’s taken damage!"
No matter how thick his Jet-Black Veil, it couldn’t completely nullify the explosive force of a Corpse Explosion. Now that he had found a way to breach Chatel’s defenses, Simon immediately pressed his advantage.
All across the city, mummies and zombies formed deadly duos. The mummies bound the zombies and, using the urban terrain to their advantage, began launching them. They would wrap their bandages around rooftops and swing the zombies like catapults, or drop them from ceilings and windows in brutal ambushes. And the moment a zombie got anywhere near Chatel...
’Corpse Explosion’
Simon would detonate it.
’Booooom!’
Chatel was on the defensive again. As effective as his spinning saws were, he couldn’t simultaneously search for Simon and fend off the endless barrage of zombies being flung at him from every conceivable angle.
"His control over the undead is a work of art!" one spectator yelled, his voice filled with excitement.
"Is he actually going to beat Chatel?"
"Whatever happens, this is a duel for the ages."
The cheers for Simon now drowned out the voices of Chatel’s fans. It was a dazzling, masterful performance unlike anything they had ever seen.
"You’re completely engrossed, aren’t you, President?"
The voice came from the arena’s VIP section, where the professors sat. Kizen’s Vice President was speaking to the man in front of him. Phantathos, a man built like a mountain, had leaped to his feet, his fists clenched like an excited child’s.
"Hmph! Of course!" Phantathos grinned. "This is the duel of the boy I hope will one day succeed me!"
The Vice President chuckled. "Trying to pawn off such a difficult job on him? How cruel."
"It’s not pawning it off, it’s a dream!"
Chatel slid back, narrowly dodging another Corpse Explosion. He was now so preoccupied with evading Simon’s attacks that he had no time to search for him. To make matters worse, the number of mummies never dwindled; it was constantly increasing.
’Swoosh.’
Finally cornered, Chatel lifted his right foot. The Domain Reversal magic circle had been on the sole of his shoe the entire time.
’So that’s where it was,’ Simon observed from his hiding spot behind a wall. ’No wonder only the spot his foot touched was immune to the golden transformation. Herseva, prepare another Corpse Explosion.’
[Okay! Just time it right!]
Just then, Chatel peeled the miniaturized magic circle from his shoe and, in the same motion, pulled another one from his back. Simon clicked his tongue in disbelief.
’He’d been preparing another spell on his back this entire time?’
Chatel slammed the two magic circles together.
’Crackle! Crackle!’
A Fusion Magic Circle. It was an incredibly advanced technique, something only taught to third-years.
"Simon Polentia."
’Vwoom!’
Chatel’s voice boomed through the arena as if amplified by a microphone. Startled, Simon listened.
"That little theory of yours... about having a good matchup... against me."
’Crackle-crackle-crackle!’
The two magic circles merged into one.
"I’m returning... those words... to you."
’Chatel Original – Domain Control’
The moment the magic circle activated, the entire radiant city plunged into darkness as if struck by a power outage.
[Kyaaah! What is this?]
As the very ground was seized, the buildings and mummies vanished like mist. The wall Simon had been leaning against melted away.
’He-Herseva? What happened?’
[Ugh! I-I can’t move! My ability... it’s not working!]
The magnificent golden city had crumbled like an illusion, leaving only the black arena floor, now completely under Chatel’s command. He turned his head, his gaze locking onto Simon, who now stood alone on the barren field.
"Found... you."
’...Ugh!’
Simon quickly yanked Herseva from the ground and retrieved it. Chatel slowly raised a single finger toward the sky.
Simon’s gaze followed for a fraction of a second.
’Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble!’
The entire arena floor began to heave violently.
"Aaaaah!"
"What’s happening?!"
Cries of panic erupted from all sides. A bewildered Simon looked around. The students in the first-floor stands seemed to be sinking. No, they weren’t sinking; he was rising.
The arena’s ceiling shattered, and brilliant sunlight streamed down, bathing Simon in its glow. A cool breeze whipped through his hair. The entire arena was now floating in the sky.
’...This is absolutely insane.’ Simon wiped the cold sweat from his brow with his sleeve. To lift the entire arena with Jet-Black earth magic... Chatel’s scale was beyond anything he had imagined.
"Now... you can’t... escape." Chatel’s eyes flashed with grim certainty.

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