"Ready for the semifinal?" Camux has decided to stay with us almost the whole time today, only leaving to visit other VIP boxes when I'm busy with my own matches.

"Yes, the quarterfinals were interesting." I fought against the son of another baronet, he seemed a few years older than me. I could sense two Pseudo Laws in him, and he's close to breaking through to the next rank—perhaps he held back just to participate in this tournament. His mastery over the rock affinity surpassed even the girls', and I noticed good experience in both his defensive and offensive movements. He's a perfect tank.

"Your previous opponent is a well-known figure in the city. He was expelled from school for beating up the son of a viscount who was bullying other low-rank nobles and commoners. That happened a few months ago, and now, since enough evidence was found to justify why he did it, he'll be reinstated this semester." Arisa explains something about the boy. It really is useful to be near them and receive this kind of information.

"Maki, your next opponent is the adopted son of a viscount with territory inside the marquisate. He's about my age, and rumors say he was adopted for his light affinity and his great potential." Sol gives me a little background, just the basics so I don't lose the thrill of facing him.

"How many nobles have territory inside the marquisate?" If I remember correctly it's ten, but I don't recall the specific ranks, so I ask, hoping one of them can clarify.

"How can you not know that? There are ten in total." Bingo! I wasn't wrong on the number. "The Count Bonilla, two viscounts, two barons, and five baronets, including your father. The size of their lands varies a lot depending on rank. You should've noticed if you compare your territory with that of the Camux family." Arisa stares at me while tapping my forehead with her finger.

"It's time to go." My card is glowing. I'm a bit excited to fight someone with a light affinity—it's a difficult one to obtain in good conditions, and the only one I know with it is my grandmother. They all wish me luck and wait for my return.

The boy in front of me is a bit shorter, around 168 cm, with neatly trimmed yellow hair and serious black eyes focused on me. "A pleasure to meet you, Maki Vichag. My name is Luks Ilumi."

"The pleasure is mine, Luks. Let's put on a good show." I step forward to shake his hand, and he accepts. As I step back, he summons a large two-handed sword glowing a bright yellow, a beautiful weapon that fits perfectly with his hair.

I create two Joyeuse while winking at him. The referee announces the start of the fight, and I decide to wait and see how he moves. I'm surprised at how easily he can swing that heavy blade, and two massive arcs of light slash through the air toward me. I quickly build a compact ice wall to block them. For a moment, I thought they'd break through, but the wall held.

He tries to close the distance, using those cuts as a distraction, moving like lightning to my left. Bad luck for him, because I can predict his movements. I don't look directly at him, wanting him to believe I don't know where he is. He uses his movement skill to appear just a meter away from me, his sword already swinging diagonally to cut me down.

I tilt my head slightly while lowering my body, his sword grazing past as my right blade moves fluidly toward his torso and the left aims for his leg. That's the disadvantage of wielding large swords—you sacrifice mobility for power.

He quickly forms something like a glowing net where my thrusts are about to land. Unfortunately for him, it isn't strong enough to stop my blades. His constructs fail to hold long enough for him to retreat, and by the time he pulls away, he's already been struck. His expression grows more serious, and he becomes much more cautious with his next attacks.

He wants to rely on the speed of his light constructs to hit me, but I plant my blades in the ground and call on my electric affinity to intercept all his attempts. Electricity may be slower than light, but I can build and guide mana faster than he can, which gives me a massive advantage.

His constructs are weak compared to his physical skills—he's not versatile like me, clearly specialized in close combat. So why is he wasting mana at long range? Is he practicing with me? I let him have his fun for a few seconds, noticing the sweat forming on his forehead as he struggles to keep up.

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My last two spheres were blocked by his glowing sword, which is now shining even brighter yellow, as if it had been charging this whole time. In that instant, I understand why he kept throwing so many long-range attacks. I already thought it strange to see him use his sword as a conductor. It's his way of charging it, strengthening it further.

He dashes at me with everything he has. I pull my Joyeuse from the ground and motion with my fingers for him to come at me. My provocation makes him smile, a spark igniting in his eyes, and now he's moving even faster, looking for any opening.

My stance is loose, my arms extended, my blades resting on the ground. To anyone else, I look full of openings, but he's already seen firsthand how fast I am and how sharp my reactions are. "If you won't come, then I will." For the first time in this tournament, I load my movement skill, adding my new pseudo Law of Electricity.

What's this feeling? Something feels off, a strange discomfort, as if my Space affinity were complaining inside my cube. I've been using the bracelets for more than two weeks—could that be the reason? With no answers, I store the feeling away and focus on the opponent before me.

I move as fast as I can, the speed boosted by my new pseudo Law. Even I'm surprised by the swiftness of the activation and how my body reacts. My first horizontal slash carries all my weight. Luks manages to block it, but he loses balance, forced into an awkward stance. He tries to escape with his movement skill, but I chase him, and though he blocks my next thrust, he's left vulnerable.

I'm impressed by how well his sword can endure my blows. Its enchantments hold firm without any issue—it must be of high quality. Still, I manage to cut his thigh. He bears the pain without flinching, and suddenly his greatsword bursts with light, blinding me for an instant as he tries to take advantage.

Sorry, Luks, that won't work on me. I follow the trajectory of his heavy horizontal slash and duck just in time, driving one blade straight into his stomach. The force of my strike sends him flying backward, his poor balance making things worse. I admit, that was a clever move, but it doesn't work against someone like me.

The glow of his sword is dimmer now, and not only because of that attack. To my surprise, a layer of mana has formed around his body, drawn from his sword. He's realized he's close to defeat and wants to prolong the fight with that protective light. So, he has two pseudo Laws, right? I hadn't noticed earlier, his control over Imra was so tight, but now that he's a bit worn down, it slipped.

I don't want to drag this fight on much longer. I've seen enough to be certain: Marga or Sol would lose to Luks seven times out of ten. The only one who could fight him evenly is Arisa, thanks to her similar fighting style. Subtle differences remain: Arisa focuses on quick attacks and mobility, while Luks prefers defense and heavy strikes, but overall, they're alike.

I rush in at full speed, overwhelming him purely with swordsmanship. He protects himself as best he can, and his light mana shield is durable, blocking several of my cuts, which were nearly at full power. I only held back from adding my Yin Yang Law and death affinity.

Unfortunately, his sword runs out of mana, and his protective collar barrier can't withstand two more slashes. It shatters, signaling the end of the fight. Luks collapses onto the floor, breathing heavily. "I already suspected the rumors were false." He looks at me, then gives me a wide smile that doesn't look like one of a loser.

"What rumors?" I've heard a few about me, and almost none are good.

"Many nobles say you're only spoiled by Marquis Timal, Lady Arisa, Lady Sol, and Lady Marga because of your beauty. According to them, you had nothing else to offer. I knew that couldn't be true, and today I finally confirmed it. You're special, and that's why you're where you are." Most of them must be watching this tournament. They'll have realized something about my strength by now.

"I feel fortunate to have fought you, Maki. I've learned a lot from this battle. Can we fight again in the future?" Luks, still sitting on the ground, offers me his hand. I take it without hesitation and help him stand.

"Yes, whenever you want, we can fight again." I glance toward the box where the three girls are seated. "And if I'm not around, I know some people who'd be delighted to spar with you." My Imra has been brushing against him subtly, careful not to raise suspicion. His defenses are low right now, and I can read a bit of his emotions. He carries no malice, only the desire to grow stronger.

"Who? I don't mean to sound arrogant, but not many people our age can keep up with me." He's right. Only the elites at the Emerald rank could be worthy opponents.

"Don't worry, friend, you'll find out soon." I smile as I release his handshake.

"Friend?" He looks confused at first, but when he understands my intention, a calm, almost soldier-like smile spreads across his face. "Yes, friend. As you say, I'll be waiting." We leave the platform together and head toward the noble stands.

On the way, I feel someone's eyes fixed on me. I turn and see a boy with sky-blue eyes and blue hair. His nose is slightly larger than usual, but he's still quite handsome. When he realizes I've noticed him, he casually looks away as if nothing happened.

Luks looks at me, puzzled. "It's nothing, let's go." We separate upon reaching the VIP boxes, and I promise to look for him after the tournament to talk more. When I arrive, the four of them congratulate me on reaching the final. I hug each one tightly. Yet a strange feeling lingers—I can't stop thinking about that boy with the blue hair. Remembering him leaves me unsettled.

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