Alyssa and Ted lay there seething, no longer able to get back up and fight. Yukari was quietly sobbing, her body trembling from pain and fear.
Abel looked around the field, his heart cold as ice. Less than two minutes into the match, the defending team had been nearly wiped out. The only one still standing on the field was him, alone.
The three on the attacking side closed in, spoiling for the finish. The green-haired student took the lead, eyeing him the way a predator eyes its prey. He called to his teammates to concentrate their fire. Three magic bullets launched at Abel simultaneously.
The thought of giving up briefly crossed Abel's mind. It would certainly be easier. But the other side's viciousness stirred something in him, a cold, rising irritation.
He made his choice and ducked down, slipping nimbly clear of the first volley. The attacks kept coming. The green-haired student looked like he had lost himself in it, but Abel moved through the dense barrage like smoke, light and effortless. His opponents on the sideline saw this and let out a scornful laugh, asking Abel if he was already running out of breath.
Abel felt not even a ripple inside. If anything, he thought the other side was the one getting tired.
Just then the teacher announced there was only one minute left in the round. The green-haired student's eyes went hard and he began gathering a massive amount of magic. He decided to go all out. A colossal sphere of light suddenly materialized. Dozens of smaller magic bullets split off from it in every direction. Alyssa and Ted on the sideline watched with their hearts in their mouths.
Abel spotted it immediately. The other side had illegally added a scatter rune.
The green-haired student crowed triumphantly, daring him to dodge this one. Abel thought to himself that dodging it outright wouldn't be that hard, but he still preferred keeping a low profile. He quietly set his magic in motion beneath the surface, then crouched down and covered his head, playing at trying to shield himself.
The magic bullets rained down, and yet every single one slid away strangely before it could touch him. The entire crowd froze, unable to make sense of what they had just seen. The green-haired student's face went blank. He suspected his magic tool had malfunctioned.
The final whistle sounded at that very moment, and Abel stood completely unharmed.
Ted came charging over with excitement, declaring his master incredible. Abel stopped him, reminding him it was too early to celebrate. In the next round attack and defense would swap, and they had to knock out every single opponent.
Now it was Abel, Ted, and Alyssa's turn to go on the attack. Ted was fired up, swearing they would take this round. Alyssa was eager to prove what they were truly capable of. Abel, meanwhile, was counting on his teammates to draw all the attention.
The other side showed not a flicker of worry. They even threw out more taunts. Abel could tell that they had something up their sleeves.
The signal to start the next round was given. The green-haired student ordered his team into a defensive formation. His teammates quickly went back to back, forming a tight defensive circle.
Ted launched the first attack, magic bullets streaking forward. Alyssa followed right behind with her own offensive. Someone in the formation immediately called out, "Northwest, spear-type attack." Another followed up, "Southeast, disc-type magic bullet."
Abel understood their strategy at once. They had split the coverage between them, sharing information to eliminate any blind spots. It was a genuinely well-coordinated defensive formation.
Ted looked flustered, turning to shout for help. Alyssa felt equally stuck, unsure how to break through. Abel had to acknowledge it. The other team's coordination was excellent. But they had still overlooked one thing.
Abel called Ted over to his side. He told him that the finishing blow for this match was his to deliver. The two began talking in low voices, working out their final battle plan. A moment later they looked up at the same time, eyes locked on their opponents.
Ted, having heard the plan, raised his arm high above his head and began chanting an exaggerated, drawn-out incantation. The entire opposing team froze, baffled by whatever ritual he was performing. Even Abel found it a bit much. Then he quietly set his own magic in motion.
Power flowed to Ted's fingertips, answering the rhythm of his chanting. Ted called out the final line to release the power, and Abel inwardly recited the true incantation for the storm magic.
Yet nothing seemed to happen. Confusion began to ripple through the air, until someone pointed at the sky in alarm and everyone looked up.
A massive ring of magical energy had already taken shape overhead. Countless magic bullets poured down from within it like a rainstorm. The opposing team had no time to react. They were buried in the bombardment instantly. They fell one after another, the field left in ruin. The green-haired student struggled and tried to get up, only to be put down again by a precisely aimed finishing shot.
The teacher looked out at the students scattered across the ground, too stunned to speak. In the end he had no choice but to clench his jaw and announce Abel's team the winner.
Everyone burst into enthusiastic cheers, celebrating the comeback victory. Alyssa turned to Ted excitedly and asked why he had been hiding his strength before. Ted could only fumble awkwardly, insisting it had all been a coincidence. Noticing that all the attention had shifted to Ted, Abel let out a quiet breath of relief.
Just then the green-haired student swayed to his feet, his face written all over with bitterness and humiliation. Abel looked at him coldly and told him he didn't know how hard the internal students had worked, but what he could say with certainty was that Ted had earned his place here purely through his own ability, built from countless days and nights of studying and training.
The green-haired student heard him out, then slumped to the ground without another word.
Then a friendly hand appeared in front of him. Ted crouched down and invited him again to eat buns together sometime. Abel shook his head. He still hadn't given up on selling his buns.
The green-haired student sat there with his head down, clearly going through something internally. Finally he just let out a cool, dismissive scoff and turned to help his teammate up instead. Alyssa was unimpressed, thinking he had some nerve being so ungrateful, but Ted laughed it off optimistically, saying it was still progress. After all, this time the guy hadn't slapped his hand away. He reaffirmed his goal of making a hundred friends with fresh conviction.
Abel watched the whole scene, a faint smile quietly finding its way to his lips.
As dusk fell, Headmaster Mihail walked alone through a dim corridor. He moved toward a concealed door and opened it silently with magic. Behind it was Teacher Emerson's cramped and cluttered underground workshop.
Emerson was staring intently at a screen. On it, the footage of that afternoon's match played on repeat. Emerson told the headmaster that it had been captured by a scout drone of his own design.
The footage replayed the moment Ted cast his magic. The instant the magic bullets came raining from above, Mihail watched closely, his expression gradually shifting to one of surprise. Emerson pointed out excitedly that it was an exceptionally brilliant piece of disguise magic. Abel had been silently mouthing something at the time.
Emerson's eyes blazed with obsession. He was going to find out exactly who Abel was.