Zane was slightly disappointed after seeing the sergeant cast Swift Step, but as the saying goes: don't fix it if it's not broken. With the blessing of the wind, the sergeant could now move at superhuman speed; running a hundred meters in five or fewer seconds was probably not an issue. Unfortunately for him, Keesha was prepared. The moment he began casting a different spell, she also began her engraving.
[0-ring Mind Spell: Mind Shock]
With her excellent reflexes, Keesha timed her attack perfectly. When the sergeant was less than 3 meters from her, he took a serious blow to his psyche, which forced him to halt, with blood dripping down his nose and ears. The pause was the perfect opportunity she was waiting for. With mana channeling in her legs, she rushed over and kicked his face.
"Is this it? Is she my opponent for the final round?" Zane thought, looking intently at the result. Alas, Keesha came short. Most people would have passed out from the Mind Shock, and a few would have needed a long time to recover. Unfortunately, the sergeant was an exceptional soldier with an iron will. Less than a second after being hit, his mind regained clarity, but it was too late as the kick hit him.
However, even with the enhancement from the mana channeling, it only disoriented him, forcing the sergeant to grunt in pain and retreat backward for a few steps. But that's as far as things proceeded. The sergeant, with sheer determination, ignored the dizziness and pain and went on the offensive.
Keesha refused to accept this result and fought back; with mana channeling added, their physical stats were not that different. But could a normal person defeat a well-trained US soldier in hand-to-hand combat? The result spoke for itself. In less than ten seconds, the sergeant had Keesha pinned down, face on the floor, with her hands locked tightly behind her back.
"You win, so let go of me."
Sergeant Rhode ignored her words and focused only on the instructor.
"Winner: Sergeant Rhode," Instructor Seiya announced, and only then did he finally release her from his grasp. Keesha calmly stood, first wiping the dirt from her face before stretching her hands. With a subtle application of mana channeling, the pain and swelling were immediately reduced. Then, she gave him a calm gaze before walking out of the arena.
"Let Assistant Luna have a look at you to prevent lasting damage to your brain," Instructor Seiya instructed, and Sergeant Rhode nodded. Ms. Luna cast a few diagnosed spells, followed by a few healing spells, before permitting him to continue.
"Take a 20-minute break, and then we can proceed with the final."
The break was good news for Zane as he now had more time to plan out his battle strategy. So, he closed his eyes, using this opportunity to prepare for the fight. Twenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and the two contestants took their positions. Before the countdown reached zero, Zane crouched to touch the floor; he suddenly spat on it, then wiped it off with his feet, which made everybody glance at him strangely.
Ignoring everybody's gaze, Zane focused on his battle; he now had a winning strategy and was somewhat confident. So, as soon as the countdown reached zero, he began the match by casting his Magic Bullet Spell.
The sergeant responded in kind with his previous tactic. Keesha was an anomaly, but what are the chances of Zane being the same? With the advantage of a 3-meter longer range, the sergeant's plan should have worked, but it didn't. Zane didn't have Keesha's innate reflexes, but he had mental channeling. By fusing his mental energy with different parts of his nervous system, he can increase his agility and overall motor function, allowing him to do what Keesha did, maybe slightly slower.
After evading the first wind blade, Zane rushed forward to close the distance and hit his opponent with his spell, but the sergeant was not a stationary target dummy; he moved backward while continuing to cast his spell. For a moment, the sergeant refused to believe that two people could render his spell useless, but after Zane evaded the third wind blade, he had no choice but to change to his previous winning tactic.
The Magic Bullet Spell had many advantages, one of which was its continuous nature. Most students must re-engrave their spells after the effects are activated, but Zane only needs to re-engrave or recast his spell after firing a couple of dozen magic bullets. So, when the fast-moving sergeant approached him, he targeted the latter, forcing him to steer his course and evade.
The shortest distance between Point A and Point B is always a straight line, so by forcing the sergeant to curve, Zane brought himself enough time to cast a second spell. But to everyone watching his fight with great suspense, he created a small pool of water, puzzling everybody.
"Is this the Water Arrow Spell? Or maybe he's going to turn it into ice?" Sergeant Rhode thought, immediately raising his guard to watch out for those possibilities. Regardless of the enemy's plan, he only needs to get close enough to end this battle.
Zane remained calm and composed, almost as if everything were under his control. The sergeant was rapidly closing in, but that didn't bother him; he waited for the right moment before moving. Right when the sergeant was less than two meters away, Zane finally used the floating water, gently placing it on the floor. Sergeant Rhode — who was in a state of inertia — couldn't react in time when she stepped on the water, slipping and falling on the floor. And with a swift motion, Zane pointed his primary spell at him and fired. And after only two magic bullets, the protective ward activated.
The crowd was quiet for a good ten seconds as the absurdity of this battle slowly sank in. Slipping? Such a grand battle with numerous displays of spells ended because someone slipped? Absurd was not a potent enough word to describe most people's feelings. Ridiculous? Ludicrous? Maybe even all those synonyms were not enough.
"Winner: Zane Skylar," Instructor Seiya's voice echoed throughout the arena. He made a motion to Ms. Luna, who jumped more than thirty meters away into the arena. Meanwhile, Zane didn't care about others as he sensed a slight fluctuation in his soul crest.
[Title: Class Champion (White)]
[You are the champion of a small tournament with over 100 individuals with adequate spell-casting capabilities. Through hard work and strategy, you have overcome decent odds and distinguished yourself from your peers. Keep going, and maybe one day, you'll be Earth's Champion]
[Effect: A marginal increase in [Focus].
{Next Title: 1/10]
"Hmm?" Zane suddenly groaned. He felt it: he could now gather and disperse his mental energy at will, without closing his eyes to concentrate. And that's probably just one of the many benefits of increasing his focus/concentration.
"Next title — does that mean I need to win nine more championships to evolve this title? Do they have to be consecutive?"
"S-Student, I need to c-check on your injuries."
Zane finally noticed someone next to him, "Ms. Luna, I'm —" Zane suddenly felt something dripping from his nose, and after wiping it out, he saw blood on his fingers. "What's going on?"
"Y-You've done quite a few reckless maneuvers," Ms. Luna explained while casting a spell. "While using mental channeling to improve your motor skills, you were simultaneously casting spells, mana channeling, and that's not mentioning all the cognitive processes required during an intense battle. On top of that, you maintained the connection to two spells.
"With such poor mastery of energy control, it's normal to have caused some internal damage. Luckily, the title healed parts of the damage, but it's a testament to how resilient your brain is that you didn't faint."
"I see," Zane replied with a wry smile; he did not expect his tactics to be so damaging to his body. "Any recommendations on how to prevent this from happening again?" He had tasted the benefits of mental channeling and did not want to give them up.
"It's just a matter of training and increasing your energy manipulation," Ms. Luna replied. "Don't worry. We-we are here to develop your potential fully, so leave the training to us."
"Thank you."
The healing process lasted less than five minutes, and Zane immediately felt refreshed. His mind felt more focused than ever, and for a moment, he couldn't tell whether it was the result of the new title or of Ms. Luna's healing. Regardless, he has never felt his mind so clear.