And so, in the blink of an eye, with Neris's victory on her duel against Morgan marking the end of the quarter-finals, it was time for the semi-finals to begin. Only four participants remained.
Although we should be celebrating the fact that we managed to get this far without many issues, we simply couldn't bring ourselves in to do so as the quarter-finals had been marked by loss.
Only Neris and I remained on our table. What was previously a lively table of seven people was now reduced to just the two of us.
Cassandra, Reina, Zoe, Myria, and Felicia had all been sent to the infirmary.
Cassandra and Reina disqualified each other, while I managed to defeat Zoe. Felicia gave her all during her match and fought to the bitter end, while Myria wasn't even given a chance to fight by her opponent.
Renard Caprasania. That is the name of my opponent as well as the one that disqualified Myria. Even though his methods were not against the rules, I can't help but feel angry towards him.
I am very aware that this is a tournament and that most participants would do everything in their power to win. I also know that the chances of Myria or any of us being disqualified were high. After all, that's the purpose of this tournament. To see who is the strongest and skilled out of all the participants.
Logically, I know all that… I know that I shouldn't be angry at Renard for using his resources to win against Myria in a swift manner… But, I just can't help it.
The moment when I saw that Myria was unable to fight back, the anger simply seemed to burst out from within.
It was just like that time with Gideon and his underlings when they were threatening my sisters, or that time with those adventurers back in Norvek who had also threatened my sisters…
That raw and powerful rage simply took hold of me. The three Goddesses had to intervene and calm me down before I tried anything stupid, and if it wasn't for them, I really could have done something stupid…
Frankly, while that rage felt good at that moment, now it just feels discomforting and somewhat frightening…
Lia and Thiasis once said that my emotions were unstable due to them blocking my memories twice and also because of my reincarnation… The fact that I've also been recovering some of my memories of Gliosis the last few days doesn't really help either…
Am I still that emotionally unstable? I honestly don't know what to think of that or what I should answer, but…
(Have you calmed down yet?) Catris asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
(Yes. All thanks to you three…) I said in an apologetic tone.
(While I am glad that you worry about your new fiancées and all, I think it is very cute in fact, you need to control yourself. You can't just stare at someone as if you were about to murder them or walk to them and actually try that just because they defeated someone you care about! This is a tournament! That is the whole purpose of this all!) Thiasis decided to reprimand me. It was a rare event to behold.
(Thiasis is right, you know? Renard did exactly what he needed to do to achieve a quick victory.) Lia agreed with her counterpart. (Even if it pains me to say this about Myria, she was no match for Renard. She was lucky before, since she was blessed with matches that were comparable to her level of skill in combat. But that kind of luck is not enough to win against someone who has more experience dueling and already has a strategy in mind to deal with her. I'm afraid it was only a matter of time.) Lia gave her honest thoughts about the matter.
(I know all that… I'm sorry.) I apologized. (And thank you for stopping me before.) I didn't forget to thank the Goddesses.
The Goddesses were right. About me having to control myself better and about Myria's disqualification…
If she had somehow managed to win against Renard, we would have faced each other afterward… Would I hold back my strength to allow her to win?
(You wouldn't. She wouldn't have liked that either.) Lia answered my question. (With her current level of strength, she wouldn't stand a chance against you, and she knew it. She knew that her defeat was imminent.) She explained.
(But that doesn't mean she can't be proud that she made it this far. I think I can speak for all of us, including you as well, that we are all proud of her, aren't we?) Catris chimed in and tried to reassure me. (You should feel happy that she was able to get some confidence in herself during her time in the tournament. And it was all thanks to you giving her some tough love!) Catris said in an encouraging manner.
(I suppose you're right… I can't argue about that. I am really proud of Myria. Though if it wasn't for you three, I wouldn't have been able to talk to her in her mind during her first match. Thank you.) I thanked Catris as well as Lia and Thiasis once more.
Due to the three Goddesses, I certainly felt way calmer than before.
(No worries!) Catris giggled in response.
(Now that we're done with the whole reassuring/scolding part, it is time for your match, champ.) Thiasis seemed satisfied after scolding me.
(You need to remember to stay calm and keep your focus.) Lia made sure to remind me not to lose my cool.
(Yep! What she said!) Catris agreed. (Now go out there and make us proud!) She said with her usual happy-go-lucky attitude.
(And don't forget to kick your opponent's butt and show them who's boss!) Thiasis had suddenly gotten extremely fired up. (The fact that we were scolding you shouldn't stop you from demolishing the competition!) She was really excited about the upcoming match.
With the encouragement of the goddesses, it was time for me to finally face Renard in the semifinals.
“Julius, are you alright? They called your name just a moment ago.” Neris asked. “Are you feeling nervous about your match?” She placed her hand on my shoulder and looked at me with worry on her face.
“Sorry. I was a bit lost in thought… If I’m being honest, I was just trying to calm myself down.” I said to Neris while shaking my head.
“Yeah, I noticed that…” Neris smiled awkwardly in response. “I can’t really blame you, it really took me a while to calm myself down. If we are both being honest, I was a little angry when Myria was eliminated, but after Alberis effortlessly defeated Felicia, I couldn’t help but feel frightened about the idea of having to face him if I won my match… For a moment, I considered yielding to Morgan just so, I wouldn’t have to face him.” Neris was open with me about her fears.
“But you’re here, aren’t you? Are you still afraid of facing your cousin?” I smiled at Neris.
“Somewhat…” Neris averted her gaze while speaking nervously. “I must say, that if you weren’t here with me in the semifinals, then I would really be afraid. Your presence is comforting to me.” Neris visibly blushed while shooting a few glances at me.
“That’s good to know, Neris. Then I might as well make sure we both reach the finals.” I said confidently while holding her hand. “The time to hold back has come to an end. Neris, I will give my all in my best match, so I will only ask you to do the same on your next match. Even if you’re afraid and your opponent is stronger than you, give your all and fight to the very end. With your skills with the sword, I know that you can give Alberis a hard time.” I said as I stood up from my seat while adjusting the new uniform I had been given by Dante between the matches.
“Do you really believe that?” Neris asked shyly. “He has his [Evil Eyes of Foresight]... I’m confident in my swordplay, but he will be able to predict each and every single one of my moves… I frankly don’t know how to deal with his troublesome ability…” She was honest with me about her worries.
“As I said, just do your best, Neris.” I smiled at her before turning my back to her and looked at the center of the arena. “What’s the problem if he can predict your attacks? You just need to overwhelm his senses to the point he can’t predict those attacks accurately. You only need one of your attacks to land to defeat him.” I shared with Neris the hint I had received from Felicia before she was disqualified.
With those final words, I left the table to go to the center of the arena.
Right. Just as Neris explained to me before, Alberis has the ability to see the future. I am still not certain of how far exactly he is able to peer into the future and to what extent, but I am sure that is well beyond twenty seconds. His ability allowed him to predict each move Felicia made and counter it in the most efficient manner, almost appearing as if he had read her mind right before she even made a move.
But his ability is not the only issue about him. Judging by the way he moved and the way he was using his sword, I can tell that he is just as skilled as Neris. He also held back by quite a lot, especially considering that he fought Felicia who was using [Fighting Spirit] combined with [Limit Break] without ever activating his own [Fighting Spirit] or using magic, only his sword...
Everything combined explains why he is considered the strongest in the Blaise Academy. Saying that he is a troublesome opponent would be an understatement.
A formidable enemy capable of gazing into the future who is still hiding much of his strength… Anyone would be frightened to face such odds, however, I managed to discover a critical weakness, all thanks to Felicia.
Evil Eyes such as Alberis’s are mutations caused either by mana or genetics. These mutations occur mostly during pregnancy, but said mutations present themselves much later during infancy. These mutations grant the user special magical abilities such as pyrokinesis, petrification, paralysis, or foresight, which is the mutation that Alberis has.
Now, the critical flaw I mentioned before about Alberis’s ability has to be the amount of information that his brain needs to process whenever his ability is used. Everything those eyes see, whether it is the present or the future, is information that the brain must process.
Thus, the only way to overcome Alberis’s [Evil Eye of Foresight] is to overwhelm his senses as much as humanly possible. Alberis is only human, so there’s a limit for his brain’s capacity of processing information.
So, in layman’s terms, even if Alberis can see the future, with enough attacks he will eventually make a fatal blunder as long as you manage to overwhelm him.
“You’re finally here, the champion of the princesses.” A young man spoke to me as soon as I reached the center of the arena, just as I had finished reviewing my knowledge about Neris’s opponent.
That young man was Renard.
“Sorry about that. I was just a little nervous, that’s all.” I said playfully before bowing to my opponent. “Greetings. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, My Lord.” However I may have felt about him, I still had to show proper etiquette.
"Likewise. I was looking forward to finally facing the son of the Skull Crusher in battle. I expect a great battle from you." Renard said proudly.
"I hope not to disappoint." I replied humbly.
Careful with what you wish for, Renard. You'll get the battle you were expecting soon enough.
(Remillia.) I channeled my thoughts into my weapon.
Dying Scarlet answered instantly.
(As soon as the match begins, you can turn back into a scythe. We are not holding anything back.) I said to the sentient weapon.
The weapon asked with glee.
(Not yet. I'd rather save that for the finals, but if things get too troublesome, I might have to let you have a few drops of blood. As long as it doesn't kill me…) I reluctantly agreed to my weapon's wishes. I couldn’t help but remember an unpleasant sensation.
And so, in the blink of an eye, with Neris's victory on her duel against Morgan marking the end of the quarter-finals, it was time for the semi-finals to begin. Only four participants remained.
Although we should be celebrating the fact that we managed to get this far without many issues, we simply couldn't bring ourselves in to do so as the quarter-finals had been marked by loss.
Only Neris and I remained on our table. What was previously a lively table of seven people was now reduced to just the two of us.
Cassandra, Reina, Zoe, Myria, and Felicia had all been sent to the infirmary.
Cassandra and Reina disqualified each other, while I managed to defeat Zoe. Felicia gave her all during her match and fought to the bitter end, while Myria wasn't even given a chance to fight by her opponent.
Renard Caprasania. That is the name of my opponent as well as the one that disqualified Myria. Even though his methods were not against the rules, I can't help but feel angry towards him.
I am very aware that this is a tournament and that most participants would do everything in their power to win. I also know that the chances of Myria or any of us being disqualified were high. After all, that's the purpose of this tournament. To see who is the strongest and skilled out of all the participants.
Logically, I know all that… I know that I shouldn't be angry at Renard for using his resources to win against Myria in a swift manner… But, I just can't help it.
The moment when I saw that Myria was unable to fight back, the anger simply seemed to burst out from within.
It was just like that time with Gideon and his underlings when they were threatening my sisters, or that time with those adventurers back in Norvek who had also threatened my sisters…
That raw and powerful rage simply took hold of me. The three Goddesses had to intervene and calm me down before I tried anything stupid, and if it wasn't for them, I really could have done something stupid…
Frankly, while that rage felt good at that moment, now it just feels discomforting and somewhat frightening…
Lia and Thiasis once said that my emotions were unstable due to them blocking my memories twice and also because of my reincarnation… The fact that I've also been recovering some of my memories of Gliosis the last few days doesn't really help either…
Am I still that emotionally unstable? I honestly don't know what to think of that or what I should answer, but…
(Have you calmed down yet?) Catris asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
(Yes. All thanks to you three…) I said in an apologetic tone.
(While I am glad that you worry about your new fiancées and all, I think it is very cute in fact, you need to control yourself. You can't just stare at someone as if you were about to murder them or walk to them and actually try that just because they defeated someone you care about! This is a tournament! That is the whole purpose of this all!) Thiasis decided to reprimand me. It was a rare event to behold.
(Thiasis is right, you know? Renard did exactly what he needed to do to achieve a quick victory.) Lia agreed with her counterpart. (Even if it pains me to say this about Myria, she was no match for Renard. She was lucky before, since she was blessed with matches that were comparable to her level of skill in combat. But that kind of luck is not enough to win against someone who has more experience dueling and already has a strategy in mind to deal with her. I'm afraid it was only a matter of time.) Lia gave her honest thoughts about the matter.
(I know all that… I'm sorry.) I apologized. (And thank you for stopping me before.) I didn't forget to thank the Goddesses.
The Goddesses were right. About me having to control myself better and about Myria's disqualification…
If she had somehow managed to win against Renard, we would have faced each other afterward… Would I hold back my strength to allow her to win?
(You wouldn't. She wouldn't have liked that either.) Lia answered my question. (With her current level of strength, she wouldn't stand a chance against you, and she knew it. She knew that her defeat was imminent.) She explained.
(But that doesn't mean she can't be proud that she made it this far. I think I can speak for all of us, including you as well, that we are all proud of her, aren't we?) Catris chimed in and tried to reassure me. (You should feel happy that she was able to get some confidence in herself during her time in the tournament. And it was all thanks to you giving her some tough love!) Catris said in an encouraging manner.
(I suppose you're right… I can't argue about that. I am really proud of Myria. Though if it wasn't for you three, I wouldn't have been able to talk to her in her mind during her first match. Thank you.) I thanked Catris as well as Lia and Thiasis once more.
Due to the three Goddesses, I certainly felt way calmer than before.
(No worries!) Catris giggled in response.
(Now that we're done with the whole reassuring/scolding part, it is time for your match, champ.) Thiasis seemed satisfied after scolding me.
(You need to remember to stay calm and keep your focus.) Lia made sure to remind me not to lose my cool.
(Yep! What she said!) Catris agreed. (Now go out there and make us proud!) She said with her usual happy-go-lucky attitude.
(And don't forget to kick your opponent's butt and show them who's boss!) Thiasis had suddenly gotten extremely fired up. (The fact that we were scolding you shouldn't stop you from demolishing the competition!) She was really excited about the upcoming match.
With the encouragement of the goddesses, it was time for me to finally face Renard in the semifinals.
“Julius, are you alright? They called your name just a moment ago.” Neris asked. “Are you feeling nervous about your match?” She placed her hand on my shoulder and looked at me with worry on her face.
“Sorry. I was a bit lost in thought… If I’m being honest, I was just trying to calm myself down.” I said to Neris while shaking my head.
“Yeah, I noticed that…” Neris smiled awkwardly in response. “I can’t really blame you, it really took me a while to calm myself down. If we are both being honest, I was a little angry when Myria was eliminated, but after Alberis effortlessly defeated Felicia, I couldn’t help but feel frightened about the idea of having to face him if I won my match… For a moment, I considered yielding to Morgan just so, I wouldn’t have to face him.” Neris was open with me about her fears.
“But you’re here, aren’t you? Are you still afraid of facing your cousin?” I smiled at Neris.
“Somewhat…” Neris averted her gaze while speaking nervously. “I must say, that if you weren’t here with me in the semifinals, then I would really be afraid. Your presence is comforting to me.” Neris visibly blushed while shooting a few glances at me.
“That’s good to know, Neris. Then I might as well make sure we both reach the finals.” I said confidently while holding her hand. “The time to hold back has come to an end. Neris, I will give my all in my best match, so I will only ask you to do the same on your next match. Even if you’re afraid and your opponent is stronger than you, give your all and fight to the very end. With your skills with the sword, I know that you can give Alberis a hard time.” I said as I stood up from my seat while adjusting the new uniform I had been given by Dante between the matches.
“Do you really believe that?” Neris asked shyly. “He has his [Evil Eyes of Foresight]... I’m confident in my swordplay, but he will be able to predict each and every single one of my moves… I frankly don’t know how to deal with his troublesome ability…” She was honest with me about her worries.
“As I said, just do your best, Neris.” I smiled at her before turning my back to her and looked at the center of the arena. “What’s the problem if he can predict your attacks? You just need to overwhelm his senses to the point he can’t predict those attacks accurately. You only need one of your attacks to land to defeat him.” I shared with Neris the hint I had received from Felicia before she was disqualified.
With those final words, I left the table to go to the center of the arena.
Right. Just as Neris explained to me before, Alberis has the ability to see the future. I am still not certain of how far exactly he is able to peer into the future and to what extent, but I am sure that is well beyond twenty seconds. His ability allowed him to predict each move Felicia made and counter it in the most efficient manner, almost appearing as if he had read her mind right before she even made a move.
But his ability is not the only issue about him. Judging by the way he moved and the way he was using his sword, I can tell that he is just as skilled as Neris. He also held back by quite a lot, especially considering that he fought Felicia who was using [Fighting Spirit] combined with [Limit Break] without ever activating his own [Fighting Spirit] or using magic, only his sword...
Everything combined explains why he is considered the strongest in the Blaise Academy. Saying that he is a troublesome opponent would be an understatement.
A formidable enemy capable of gazing into the future who is still hiding much of his strength… Anyone would be frightened to face such odds, however, I managed to discover a critical weakness, all thanks to Felicia.
Evil Eyes such as Alberis’s are mutations caused either by mana or genetics. These mutations occur mostly during pregnancy, but said mutations present themselves much later during infancy. These mutations grant the user special magical abilities such as pyrokinesis, petrification, paralysis, or foresight, which is the mutation that Alberis has.
Now, the critical flaw I mentioned before about Alberis’s ability has to be the amount of information that his brain needs to process whenever his ability is used. Everything those eyes see, whether it is the present or the future, is information that the brain must process.
Thus, the only way to overcome Alberis’s [Evil Eye of Foresight] is to overwhelm his senses as much as humanly possible. Alberis is only human, so there’s a limit for his brain’s capacity of processing information.
So, in layman’s terms, even if Alberis can see the future, with enough attacks he will eventually make a fatal blunder as long as you manage to overwhelm him.
“You’re finally here, the champion of the princesses.” A young man spoke to me as soon as I reached the center of the arena, just as I had finished reviewing my knowledge about Neris’s opponent.
That young man was Renard.
“Sorry about that. I was just a little nervous, that’s all.” I said playfully before bowing to my opponent. “Greetings. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, My Lord.” However I may have felt about him, I still had to show proper etiquette.
"Likewise. I was looking forward to finally facing the son of the Skull Crusher in battle. I expect a great battle from you." Renard said proudly.
"I hope not to disappoint." I replied humbly.
Careful with what you wish for, Renard. You'll get the battle you were expecting soon enough.
(Remillia.) I channeled my thoughts into my weapon.
Dying Scarlet answered instantly.
(As soon as the match begins, you can turn back into a scythe. We are not holding anything back.) I said to the sentient weapon.
The weapon asked with glee.
(Not yet. I'd rather save that for the finals, but if things get too troublesome, I might have to let you have a few drops of blood. As long as it doesn't kill me…) I reluctantly agreed to my weapon's wishes. I couldn’t help but remember an unpleasant sensation.
