Reverse Chronicles

Grand Magic Games

After months of training, it’s finally the day that I have been training for, the Grand Academy Games. The event spans over four days with one event taking place each day. The first event is the individual weapon battles. The Chosen are automatically registered in the event, while ordinary students can choose to register or not.

The first event is held in the stadium directly across the Academy. Students, Academy instructors, spectators, and even the emperor are already seated on the stadium gallery waiting for the matchups to be announced. All of the participants are to be grouped in blocks. There will be five participants in each block. The five will fight each other all at once and the winner will proceed to the main tournament.

I check the listings for the blocks, and it seems I am in Block R. Johannes is in Block B, Luke is in Block F, Syrena is in Block M, and Haruka is in Block Q. Everyone cheers as the blocks have been announced, except for those who are up against Johannes, Luke, and Haruka. Syrena’s block mates are glad, since there has been a history of her yielding before the fight even starts.

“You’re in Block R, eh?” Paul approaches me after checking the groupings. “I’m in Block M, lucky right?”

“Well, you have to do your best and fight the other three if you want to proceed to the tournament proper,” I reply checking my opponents.

“You too,” he fists my shoulder. “Who knows, we might be in the semifinals.”

“What about you, Xin?”

“She is focusing, Alan. Don’t bother her,” Paul replies for her.

“Focusing?”

“She’s up against Haruka,” Paul answers.

“Hey, guys!” Rose joins in the conversation. “Let’s all do our best and reach the tournament proper!”

“Which block are you in?” Paul asks her, searching the listings for her name.

“I’m in Block A, you block head,” Rose fights with Paul.

“Wouldn’t it be difficult to fight as an archer? I mean your strength is with the distance between you and your enemy,” I say to Rose looking at her bow.

“It is going to be extremely difficult, but it is all part of the training,” Rose replies.

“You’re bound to lose, anyway,” Paul teases her. “Even if you can enter the tournament, your opponent in the first round will be Johannes from Block B. You can’t win against him.”

“You’re probably right, if I win it may be all for naught,” Rose looks down. “But, still, I’m going to make sure that Johannes will have a difficult time. Oh, I have to go and prepare. The Block A match is going to start soon.” Rose enters a door beside the listings.

The instructors make us wait at the gallery for competitors. As things finally settles down, the emperor waves to every person in the stadium.

Cyrus, I still can’t believe he’s from a future Earth.

The headmaster of the Academy gives an opening speech. He then bangs the gong signaling the official start of the Grand Academy Games.

The competitors for the Block A match steps out on the arena. They were all archers and they all distanced themselves away from each other.

“Block A match begin!” the headmaster shouts.

The fight between archers looks very difficult from an onlooker’s perspective. They are all moving around as they aim and release their arrows. Rose jumps and moves left and right as she let loose her arrows, using skills on her opponents. Suddenly, one of the competitors stumble and fall. In a blink of an eye, other competitors shoot her, including Rose.

Now that I think about it, they all prefer to fire at stationery targets than moving ones that is why they are moving a lot.

Rose continues the fight until she remains as the last archer standing.

“The winner is Rose L. Myrveen!” the headmaster announces, the spectators and the instructors cheer as the victor takes her victory walk. Healers and mages enter the arena. They all heal the defeated competitors. One healer pulls an arrow out of the first archer that was defeated.

Did they use real arrows? No, there is no blood. Are those magic arrows?

As the healers are transporting the unconscious fighter out of the arena, the next group enters. Among them is Johannes, the Squire of the Knight General.

“This match will be over in an instant,” one of my co-competitors say. “That’s Johannes, he’s going to crush them as soon as this start.”

Being a Squire is such an unfair advantage. After being trained by Wisterion, I understood that inequality. I wonder how the others are going to fight against Johannes.

“Block B match begin!” the headmaster shouts.

As the match starts, Johannes’ four opponents gang up against him. Since everyone is allowed to use every and any weapon they wanted to, two fought Johannes using spears and two used bows as support.

Johannes wields his sword; he is confident that he can defeat them all. The two who used spears suddenly rush him. He meets them head on. The two archers let loose arrows that soared through the air making their way towards Johannes.

He’s going to get hit!

Suddenly, Johannes sidesteps to the right and throws his sword. The two spear users reach him using Disabling Thrust as they attacked. However, the Johannes that they attacked was only an illusion. The real one makes it through them attacking the two archers.

“He’s a genius!” the person besides me shouts. “Archers are going to be troublesome, so he took care of them first. Now there won’t be anyone bothering as he fights the other two.”

So that’s what he did! I see, this must be his strategy. It’s smart.

After the two archers fell, the two spear users did not last long, and the Block B match is over.

“The winner is Johannes, Squire of the Knight General!” The entire stadiums fill with cheers and applause when they hear of his identity.

“That is why it was over quickly!” spectators clamor with Johannes’ skill.

“The Knight General’s Squire? He is going to have a bright future!” another exclaims.

Butterflies fill my stomach as the pressure is officially on. Squires are expected to win the tournament.

The matches pass by in an instant. My legs feel cramped as I have spent minutes sitting and observing how things have unfolded. But, now, it’s finally time for his match.

It’s finally Luke’s fight. He walks in the arena confidently with sword and spear in hand. He is the Squire of the Defender General, who is unparalleled in the defense of castles, passes, and in war. My mind goes around how Luke will fight. Will he fight aggressively like how Johannes did? Or will he go on the defensive?

“Block F match begin!”

The other four fighters battle on their own as Luke stands far away from them. He does not budge as the other four are in a fierce fight.

“What is he doing?” spectators begin murmuring. They all wonder what Luke is doing.

Luke suddenly begins walking towards the other four. When he was close enough, he slashes the air using the sword and the spear. Everybody laughs at what he did, but suddenly, the four lies down unconscious after what he did.

“What was that?” clamors in our side of the gallery begins spreading.

“Time s***h,” Syrena who is in the gallery explains, “It is a skill that greatly slows down time to point that it appears to freeze. The user is not affected by this phenomenon allowing them to s***h their enemies. It is a sword skill, so he must have used Time s***h by the time he slashed the sword through the air and he must have already did the attack once he slashed with the spear.”

“Woah! That’s crazy and cool,” the gallery’s enthusiasm increases.

“The winner is Luke F. Atharia, Squire of the Defender General,” the shocked crowd lets out wild cheers. As Luke was leaving the arena, I notice him looking at me with eyes that seem to be challenging me. 

The next match that I keep my eyes peeled on is Block M’s. It is Paul’s and Syrena’s block.

Syrena is a magic user and magic is prohibited, I wonder how she is going to fight? Will she surrender?

“Block F begin…” as the headmaster was announcing, Syrena shouts, “Wait!”

“What is it?” the headmaster looks at her as if he knows what she is going to do.

“I yield!” Syrena declares casting Levitate as she flies back to the gallery. Everyone in the audience is shocked. It is the first time in the matches that someone has yielded. However, when the headmaster announced her position, everyone understood.

“This is not her match.”

Paul wins the Block M match. With his techniques that incorporates body movements with skills, it was not a surprising result. The first half of the first event is almost over. The headmaster announces a short break before the next blocks fight.