After two days, the man's arm was already back to normal with some healing. During their battle, the both of them had only relied on physical skills but now that magic was allowed, the man had confidence in his victory.

"Isn't that Gilbert Coterel?"

One of the people in the audience muttered in surprise.

"It is! Didn't he dislike participating in competitions?"

"I heard that he was targetting someone."

"Again? He can do that in normal situations but this is the interclass competition..."

"I heard he bought off many of the students."

"For real?"

After hearing the audience talking to each other, Kai's eyes narrowed. If it was really as the audience had said, then Yoko and the others were in trouble. Sure, they were strong enough to contend against Kai but they couldn't face wave after wave of people on the same level as them.

Take the vampire servants for example, they could barely coordinate but if they had, Arata and the others wouldn't have stood a chance even with the potions. Now, potions weren't allowed in this competition and if you don't defeat your opponent in thirty seconds, then a new one will appear.

It was a competition where luck played the biggest factor. Be too early and you'll have to face everyone but be too late and there was a chance for the newcomer to be singled out for being full of energy.

Yoko and Gilbert, their positions were most disadvantageous but for some reason, neither of their faces were grim. In fact, their eyes were as fierce as ever.

The two of them glared at each other and began exchanging words whilst waiting for the signal to start the match.

"This isn't a coincidence, is it?"

Yoko asked Gilbert.

In response to her question, Gilbert just smiled. To others, it was a normal smile but Yoko could feel the malice because it was being directed at her.

Yoko who relied on her physical attributes more than her mana was rare. Most close combatants use a variety of spells and buffs to make themselves stronger. If Yoko who uses mana to strengthen her body would have her power multiply fivefold, then the others would multiply eightfold.

Seeing as how Gilbert had no intention to answer in the principal's presence, Yoko took the Gentle Fist stance.

This was the stance she trained the most but during her time in the academy, she hadn't used it once.

Gilbert prepared himself as well. He unsheathed his sword and took a stance.

"Ready... start!"

One of the organizers yelled after checking that both participants were ready.

"[Attack]."

A buffing spell?

Yoko raised her brows in surprise but that didn't mean she hesitated.

Buffing spells worked but only to a certain level. Take Natsumi for example, she could cast buffing spells but she can only support up to A-class. Her strength was far too low to boost someone in S-class.

"[Nimble Footwork]."

Boosting her speed by half, Yoko arrived next to Gilbert in an instant. Gilbert reacted with little delay and slashed at her.

Yoko stuck the back of her hand onto the sword's body and as it moved to slash towards her, she exerted some force and redirected the blade to stab into the floor before striking Gilbert's body with a palm strike.

Because his muscles were tensed from slashing, Yoko's palm strike did major damage and made all of Gilbert's organs in his abdomen become disrupted.

She then spun once and struck out with both of her palms towards Gilbert's chest.

CRACK

Those with good hearing heard it clearly. Gilbert's chest was fractured and he was sent flying away.

There were only three ways to be defeated. One, to be rendered unconscious for ten seconds. Two, to get knocked out of the stage. And three, to surrender.

Even though Yoko sent him flying, the distance was still far from enough to have him be removed from the stage.

Just as Gilbert landed, a fireball exploded right beside Yoko but she maneuvered herself just before it hit.

The thirty seconds were over, now there were two enemies in front of Yoko.

Without panic, Yoko glanced over at the newcomer and at Gilbert. Determing that the former was weaker, she quickly switched targets. It was going to be more troublesome if she were to fight Gilbert only to have someone else interfere in the middle.

The new opponent was a mage who held no weapons. Once he saw Yoko appear, he immediately created a barrier to surround himself but due to the urgency, he only managed to cover the front and sides.

Yoko kicked the floor and leapt over behind the mage and then hit his chest with both of her palms. The mage was sent flying towards his own barrier which cracked from the force and his body was sent tumbling out of the stage.

All in all, Yoko only took ten seconds to defeat one more person. She didn't even unsheathe her daggers yet she held her own against a mage and Gilbert, many of the spectators looked at her with surprise.

The principal even slightly leaned forward to watch her performance.

Whether if it was a coincidence or if it was planned all along, majority of the following participants were all in Gilbert's faction. All of them had attacked Yoko first, not caring about the fatigued Gilbert.

It didn't take long for Yoko to slip up and take damage. She was rammed from the side by a bulky man.

Armor was allowed in the competition but only to a certain level. The man who had rammed her wore armor that covered his entire body and head. It looked insanely heavy but there were several gaps that could be exploited.

Of course, that was all that happened to Yoko. She quickly got back up and continued fighting with zeal.

All throughout the competition, the audience didn't think much of it but the suspicion in their hearts grew more. Especially how Gilbert was ignored by the newcomers. Normally, someone like him who was well-known would be targeted first. If he was defeated by someone unknown, that person's reputation and fame would skyrocket.

To resist that temptation and attack someone like Yoko who had only just joined the academy, there was definitely something going on behind the scenes. The audience began making speculations about the deals made behind the scenes.

But even though wave after wave of enemies targeted Yoko, she didn't bring out her daggers.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Why isn't she using her weapons?"

"Those are daggers by her waist, are they Enchanted Gear?"

"Most likely, Enchanted Gears were alowed tthis time, it's why the Runes class had participated as well."

The people in the audience began whispering to each other once more.

"Bunch of fools."

Anne scoffed after she heard them.

"What do you mean?"

Kai who was sitting beside her asked.

"She's preserving her energy. Although using martial arts and fighting with weapons are both close combat, one takes more energy than the other. Between swinging your fist and lifting something and slashing with it, it's obvious which takes more energy."

At that point, her eyes narrowed and watched each and every movement of Yoko like a wild hawk eyeing its prey.

"Not to mention that she's using palm attacks and by the looks of it, using her own opponent's power against them, it takes even less energy than a punch. Am I right?"

Anne looked at Kai for confirmation but it was evident in her eyes that she knew her conjecture was correct.

Normally, Kai would just answer with a nod but quickly thinking of something, he placed a hand on Anne's head and smiled before talking.

"Good eye, Anne."

She flushed red for an instant but her embarassment quickly turned into anger. Seeing as how if he continued, she'd do anything she can to tear him apart, he retracted his hand.

After so many opponents, Yoko finally began to pant in exhaustion.

She had gone through at least fifty opponents who had all targeted her. She could take most of them out in an instant but there were some troublesome ones who lasted until the next opponent arrived.

She looked at Gilbert who had mostly recovered and finally unsheathed her daggers, her mana flaring.

"It looks like she knows she's reached her limit. How many do you think she'll be able to take down before completely burning out?"

Anne looked at Kai.

"...I don't know."

Anne raised her brows in surprise.

"What's with that surprised look?"

"It's just that, she's your friend so you should know her limits..."

"Yeah, but I have to take in the factor that the next opponent isn't an enemy of hers."

Just as Yoko reached Gilbert, the next competitor stepped on the stage. It was Date who quickly unsheathed his sword and headed straight for Gilbert as well.

"[Twin Dragon's Rage]."

"[Water Dragon]!"

"You won't survive this strike! [Hurricane Blade]!"

Yoko slashed in front of Gilbert but just as he was about to counter with his sword covered in wind, she vanished from view and appeared a few meters behind him.

Several dozens of cuts appeared on Gilbert's body but before he could even react, the water dragon swallowed him up and thrashed him outside the stage.

"You should retire..."

Date spoke to Yoko.

"No, I can still go on."

She wiped some of the sweat forming on her forehead and waited for the next competitor. They had to look around the entire stage because they could enter from anywhere but with the training from Kai, they could sense their immediate surroundings even without the use of sight.

Arata, Date, Iori, Kei, Yoko. They had five participants out of the more than eight hundred participants in the fight so it wasn't a stretch to say that there was an extremely low chance of being chosen.

Still, Date and Yoko only managed to make it to a hundred before facing a wall. And that wall was in the form of a mage nearing S-class.

Adam Coterel, the student mage second only to Anne. In their peak state, Yoko and Date might've stood a chance but right now, it was doubtful if they would even be able to land a hit.

At his level, joining this tournament was beneath him so seeing his figure here was strange.

"I'm sure you're both wondering why I joined the tournament."

Thomas spoke to them in a low tone.

...Who the heck is this guy? Date and Yoko made confused faces.

"In truth, it was my brother who had asked me to join."

Who the heck is his brother? Date and Yoko kept on making confused faces.

None of the three attacked each other and the next competitor went in. It was another mage, he immediately went to Adam's side.

"[Fast Movement]."

Before the mage could even position himself near Adam, Yoko already blew him away, making several lacerations here and there. The reason Yoko used Nimble Footwork instead of Fast Movement was because she was saving it as her trump card.

In reponse to Yoko's attack, Adam calmly faced her and with both index and middle finger stuck together, he pointed downwards.

Immediately, Yoko's movements stopped and she was forced to kneel. She used her arm to prop herself up but the wind was just too strong. Date tried to help her but let alone damaging Adam, he couldn't even pierce through the barrier.

Yoko tried to sink into her own shadow but Adam suddenly reversed the flow of wind, making her float in the air and unable to enter her shadow.

There was a thin line between the peak of A-class and S-class but most people never got through that border. Adam was one of the rare few who had potential to go past that barrier. Yoko and Date also had it, they reached even higher levels in the other timeline after all. But, for the current them, the peak of A-class was something they couldn't fight against.

"I only have business with this woman. You are an eyesore. [Hidden Gust]."

Adam turned his eyes towards Date who was trying his best to destroy the barrier. He only made a few cracks before Adam retaliated. The wind in the space in front of Date exploded and he was sent flying but he used water to stop himself from being knocked off.

Adam continued to make Yoko float and charged towards Date, he aimed his palm at him and then muttered a few words. His words couldn't be heard as he muttered them in a whisper.

"[Water Dome]!"

Date created a dome of water that surrounded him. There wasn't a single opening to be exploited.

Kai's eyes sharpened and looked at the dome.

A few seconds after it was created, it suddenly exploded. The water from the surroundings were blown away and Date who was inside crashed into the wall outside the stage, most of his body was bleeding.

Let alone thirty seconds, Date was wiped out in twenty. It was a level of power he hadn't faced alone. Kai limited himself when fighting them so against absolute power, they had no way to fight back.

The martial arts skills Kai taught them couldn't be used in this fight against Adam, he was a mage after all. Their mastery of Flash Step was one where using magic was faster.

"My brother told me to humiliate you in the case that he gets eliminated."

Adam smirked without concealing the lust in his eyes.

"Of course, tasting you in a stage such as this isn't allowed but... it's unavoidable if your clothes were ripped apart in battle, right?"

Adam pointed his index finger at Yoko who was still struggling to get free. The next competitor had already arrived and went to Adam's side.

"[Wind Bullet]."

It was insanely fast and Yoko didn't have time to react, her shoulder was hit and the clothes covering that part were blown away, revealing her skin.

Yoko began reaching into her pocket but the hand that stretched out was shot and stopped. It didn't contain much force but it numbed her hand, forcing her to stop.

Her Enchanted Gear was designed to cut enemies, it didn't have any other properties to help in her current situation but, she did have Akane's Enchanted Gear, Gigas. With it, she could create a shell of iron which is too heavy to be lifted by the wind.

She used more of her mana and created darkness to wrap around herself but the wind bullets were just too fast. Arm, abdomen, arm, shoulder, thigh, foot, his shots were completely random making Yoko unable to defend in time. She could protect herself from some of the bullets but most of them had already went through.

The clothes around her stomach and arms were already ripped to shreds. The flexible pants she wore also had holes here and there but it was only a matter of time.

Surrendering was allowed in this competition and Yoko knew that but whenever she tried to speak, the air would leave her lungs and she would be unable to voice out her words.

Adam tormented Yoko for nearly three minutes where her clothes were nearly in tatters and her skin was bruised, even bleeding in some places. Her chest was still protected and the skin above her knees were still covered, Adam intentionally left them there because even he had a reputation to maintain.

The participants who entered all made conflicted expressions as if wanting to help Yoko but because the other party was a mage nearing S-class, none of them dared to do so.

At that moment, Anne stood up and amplified her voice.

"That's enough, Adam Coterel. Eliminate her now."

It was loud enough for the whole arena to be heard. Adam naturally followed her orders and removed the wind that held Yoko up but he didn't forget to shoot one more bullet straight at her chest.

Yoko was sent flying, on the brink of losing consciousness but just as she got out of the limits of the stage, she was held in someone's arms.

"Are you okay?"

Kai had arrived and draped his blazer over her then immediately tended to her wounds.

"I'll take care of everything else. Go and rest."

Yoko looked at Kai with dazed eyes.

Ah... I'm being protected again...

There was a sense of self-pity in her eyes but also some warmth. She entrusted her body to Kai and fell asleep, the exhaustion from the battle tolled on her both physically and mentally.

Her figure was barely seen from the audience stands but they could still see her clothes being ripped apart. They all whispered with each other but none dared voice out their complaints against Adam.

Kai lifted Yoko up and denied the healers coming to check on her and sat down in his spot next to Anne.

"...I had thought you would be more mad."

"Mad? Hahaha!"

Kai suddenly laughed which caused Anne to shudder involuntarily.

"I'm not just mad, I'm furious. In fact, I'm so angry I might just go in there and kill that man right here and now. But, I won't do that."

All of a sudden, the smile on his face faded.

"Anastasia Willow Mathers, get me a participation ticket. I don't care if it's the next or the last."

Anne looked at him with furrowed brows. There were two reasons, one that he called her by her full name which was quite strange considering his normal temperament and that he asked for something impossible for a normal student.

"Assuming I can get one, what would you do with it?"

"I'm going to return the favor a hundredfold."

Kai calmly spoke.