"「Fire Bolt!」"

"「Pyrobombardment!」"

"「Flame Rod!」"

All variations of fire-based spells were continuously hurled at Onii.

Yet, even as the storm of magic lashed against him, he was unmoved by the incoming projectiles and continued walking towards Mich.

The barrage of spells hit him — no, they vanished before they did. So complete and sudden was the disappearance, that it seemed as though they had never existed.

That's at least five different variations of 8th tier fire-based spells.

How did he place in the lowest rank?

Mich was sweating and panting. His slouching back and restless eyes indicated that he was running low on mana. Casting several magic spells consecutively required tremendous amounts of endurance and energy.

Onii knew his opponent was desperate for a quick victory since there was zero coordination in his spellcasting and combo layering.

In any duel, spamming spells was a beginner mistake. While it may work against an opponent who was fundamentally weaker, but against an enemy of equal standing or higher, prudent forethought and battle strategies were necessary for victory.

That was because magic casters were powerful by nature, especially so for those that were born gifted. But once their mana depletes, all magicians lose their fighting ability and become useless. To compensate for that weakness, many mages learn basic martial arts and self-defense.

However, that did not seem to be the case for Mich. His posture indicated that of a young and naive student, which was completely different than many of the opponents Onii had fought in the past. Thus, his best chance of winning was near the beginning.

But about half an hour had passed, which meant the duel's outcome was determined.

You made the wrong decision to challenge me... out of all people.

Onii knew that Mich was an amateur at best. Everything about the duel spoke for itself — predictive patterns of thinking, text-book example attacks, expressive facial expressions. It was like watching a child hurling pebbles endlessly without any thought into his actions.

By Temple Academy's standard, he's quite talented... but inexperienced. Far too inexperienced. His ego is preventing him from improving.

If only he honed his abilities and fought smarter, then maybe this would have actually been interesting.

While Onii couldn't care less about arrogant snobs like Mich, the fact he chose to ridicule his dear little sister stirred rage inside his heart.

This emotional impulsivity was something he needed to work on. Within the context of a normal school life, this behavior would definitely interfere with the espionage. Earlier this morning, his little sister even specifically mentioned that people will always badmouth and he should just let it go.

After all, Amae said that you will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.

But was it really okay?

As an older brother, should it not be his duty to stand up for his little sister?

Based on past experiences, those who had ridiculed Amae now rest deep beneath the earth. Onii thought back to their first assassination quest four years ago. The Temeculan incident was the perfect example of what happens when idiots purposely mocked his sister in front of him — a complete massacre on the foolish king and his followers.

Suddenly, Mich stopped his assault and grinned, eyes widening in a perilous manner. He fumbled out a rolled-up parchment from his inner robe pocket.

Something's up.

"It's over, you cheating bastard! I don't know how you are deflecting all of my spells but there's no way you can stop this one!"

Onii instantly stopped in his tracks and studied the item Mich was holding attentively.

He can't be this stupid... right?

「Scroll」 contained any 5th tier spells or below. While it was a one-time use, the unknown spell it contained was enough to be on full alert. There was a possibility that it could be a top-tier offensive-based attack like 「Heaven's Fall」or a utility-based Area Of Effect (AOE) like 「Chrono Freeze」.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

In that fraction of a second, Onii worked out many possibilities and countermeasures. His veteran experiences allowed his mind to adapt to the unexpected situation deftly.

There were hundreds of spells within the 5th tier. Thousands including those below that level. Needless to say, it was impossible to speculate what it was by the human mind alone. Without using another「Scroll」or 5th tier support-based magic like「Greater Detection」, the unpredictability made the current situation too dangerous.

At Onii's current state, his true power was restricted into a small fraction of what it originally was. This limitation was to help control his power in situations that might be too difficult to hold back. Although a 5th-tier spell would not harm him too much, it interfered with his main goal.

He wanted to achieve a flawless victory and in the process, have his opponent wallow in total regret for saying those words about Amae. Similarly, the logical side of not winning prematurely was to appraise the level of competency and abilities in his new setting. But it was mostly the former.

I suppose it's time to end this.

Onii raised his hand in a fighting stance and then took a deep breath, channeling his concentration and inner energy together in unity.

"You will taste the true power of Ael Household, stupid swordsman!"

A heatless flame engulfed the scroll, consuming it within seconds and releasing the magic locked within.

"Behold the 6th tier spell —「Pyroclastic Bomb」!"

A colossal blazing meteorite instantly appeared out of nowhere from the sky. It fired down directly onto Onii at a rapid speed. Using the function of a scroll, the channel time was avoided.

There's no time to evade.

I have to use it.

Onii then raised his right hand beside his head. The scintillating flames in front of him crackled sinisterly as if it was alive and ready to consume its target into oblivion.

Within mere seconds, it landed on its target.

A loud, ringing explosion paired with a wave of shuddering air behind the thunderous impact—

—The meteorite shattered into thousands of broken chunks before disappearing back into shards of mana essences.

Onii had punched straight through it.

This is becoming too dangerous. I should end this now.

Before Mich could even react to what happened with his grand spell, Onii vanished. A wave of dust erupted in his original position.

Like a hurricane that devoured everything in its path, Onii closed the distance between his opponent in a flash. He appeared behind Mich and then karate chopped him on the neck.

Mich dropped down to the ground with a THUMP, motionless from the attack.

♦ ♦ ♦

"Winner, Onii."

Lirin announced the name with a slight shock. For some reason, she had allowed the「Scroll」 to activate. If it were any other students, Lirin would not have hesitated and immediately cast a shield-based spell to block「Pyroclastic Bomb」. But the expert in her whispered that interference was unnecessary.

Thus, curiosity had got the better of her.

「Pyroclastic Bomb」was a 6th tier offensive spell, requiring the user to master all the fundamentals of fire-based magic. Even A-rank students couldn't have disarmed a spell of that level like Onii did. While the six S-Ranks may yield a similar result, Lirin decided to gamble and quench her intellectual interest.

If Onii could somehow overcome the spell, then his skills are that of a Potential.

Lirin's hypothesis was right and luckily, a medical emergency was not needed. In fact, this had confirmed many initial theories she had about him during the class introduction, particularly about that Katana.

"I avoided his vital spot," Onii said in an indifferent voice, brushing off some dust on his tie. "He'll feel sore when he wakes up but other than that, there are no fatal damages. But since Mich did break the rules, do punish him accordingly."

"I will discuss this matter over with the Disciplinary Committee."

Lirin did not know how to react to Onii's coolness.

Because he did not seem happy at all.

Despite the major feat, his face indicated otherwise; that the result was merely appropriate within the expected result.

It was not just his body posture or tone of voice; he was fully uninterested in the victory. He gave a brief nod, then turned back towards the battlefield to retrieve his sword.

"Jan and Ness, take Mich to the nurse's office," The two boys nodded, carrying the fallen contender onto their shoulders and left swiftly.

Lirin caught up to Onii's pace. To others, it seemed like she was concerned over what happened.

"What spell did you use to disarm「Pyroclastic Bomb」?"

"I did not use a spell."

"Then was it zeroth tier magic?"

Onii raised his eyebrow, which indicated there might indeed be a connection between him and Mari.

"While the magic system classifies it that way, its methodology acts more like martial arts."

"Interesting, does that mean you used your mana to enhance your physical capability?"

"That's half-correct," Onii smiled mysteriously and removed his Katana from the ground. "How about we chat about this over a cup of coffee after school? Your treat."

Lirin paused for a moment and chuckled. Despite the gravitas he possessed, even he knew how to make a joke.

"A student and teacher relationship is forbidden."

"Don't get the wrong idea, the only person I am interested in is my little sister."

Although Lirin wondered if it was another joke, his facial expression indicated otherwise — that person probably meant the world to him.

"So you're a siscon." Lirin smirked, taking an extra glance at the Katana. It gleamed nostalgically under the sunlight.

"You sound exactly like my Grandmaster," Onii let out a sigh and sheathed his blade. "Here I was thinking that the teasing would stop."

Before Lirin could continue the conversation, the rest of the class had walked up towards the field. As a new instructor at Temple Academy, she had to balance her desires and professionalism. For the promise. For him.

Although many questions circled her head like pigeons, she figured there was plenty of time. To be more precise, she had four years to uncover more about this mysterious swordsman. And about that Katana's origin.

With a commanding voice, Lirin turned on her heels and announced to her students, "We'll continue right where we left off! The village girl in the front. Name, Element and a fun fact."