The moment the ice spike left his hand, Erich knew it was over.
Alicia used the last of her strength to launch a dark red water blade to meet the ice spike. The two forces of mana collided in the center of the field. The water blade shattered into a shower of red droplets almost the instant they made contact, failing to delay the ice spike even for a moment.
With its momentum undiminished, the ice spike plunged into Alicia's thigh.
Only after piercing her did the ice spike truly reveal its fangs.
According to Erich's design, the outer ice shell shattered the moment it entered her thigh. The supercooled water hidden inside the hollow spike spilled deep into the wound. The moment it touched her flesh, the supercooled water gained a nucleation site and began to freeze.
Freezing released heat, making it feel as if boiling oil had been poured into the wound. Immediately after, the ice crystals expanded. The newly formed ice shards drove deep along the grain of her muscle, forcefully piercing all the way through her thigh from the inside out.
Both hot and cold erupted simultaneously within the same wound. Before the burning sensation could even fade, the freezing sting caught up. The feeling was utterly indescribable.
Alicia couldn't even let out a proper scream. She curled up on the sand, her staff discarded to the side. Her hands desperately clutched the top of her thigh. Her face was deathly pale, beads of cold sweat drenched her forehead, and her body trembled uncontrollably like a leaf in the wind.
She didn't want to cry, but her tears refused to listen, streaming down like broken pearls. Stifled, broken sobs escaped her throat; she tried to hold them back but couldn't, her body twitching in a way that looked agonizing to behold.
The spectators gasped in unison, completely speechless.
Some in the front row averted their eyes, unable to watch any longer. The Wayne family's cheer squad had also fallen dumbfounded.
The referee quickly snapped out of it and raised his hand to declare Erich the winner. The medical team waiting outside rushed onto the field. Several white-robed mages surrounded Alicia, casting emergency healing spells before carefully lifting her onto a stretcher. The slightest movement of her leg made her gasp in pain until she finally blacked out, finally falling silent.
The blood on the field was cleared away with magic, making the brutal scene from moments ago feel like a dream, but the heavy, stifling atmosphere in the arena would not dissipate so easily.
Everyone was stunned by that last move. Driving an ice spike filled with supercooled water into flesh and then freezing it from within—no one had ever seen or even heard of such a tactic. It was so cunning and vicious. Was this even a move a human could come up with? Even a monster wouldn't think of it!
Julian Lombard's voice suddenly rang out: “You bastard, how could you be so cruel?! You made Alicia cry!”
Her face flushed red as she stomped her feet in anger. With someone leading the charge, others quickly joined in. Waves of condemnation washed over the arena, accusing Erich of lacking gentlemanly conduct, of not knowing how to show mercy, and asking what kind of man bullies a girl. Others sneered that someone kicked out of his family was indeed scum. The insults grew uglier and uglier.
Erich remained entirely unfazed, even finding it a bit amusing.
If they wanted to talk about cruelty, Alicia's Wine Explosion was the truly dangerous spell. Splashing high-temperature steam wrapped in liquid alcohol onto someone combined steam burns, fire burns, and suffocation—a triple threat of lethal forces. Half of his elegant hair had been singed off, and his clothes were shredded like rags. If he hadn't seen through the mechanics of that spell, he would be the one on the stretcher right now.
As for him? Though his ice spike looked terrifying, he had targeted her thigh. While it was excruciatingly painful, with this world's medical magic, she would be up and running in a few days without even a scar.
In the half-month since school started, Erich had heard enough of these taunts to grow calluses on his ears. He was mocked in the library, ostracized in the classroom, and whispered about in the cafeteria. He almost felt that if a day came when no one insulted him, he wouldn't know what to do with himself.
Thus, Erich had no intention of explaining himself. He raised his staff, pointing the tip toward the sky.
A thick bolt of lightning soared into the sky, slamming against the arena's barrier. With a deafening boom, the entire colosseum seemed to shudder.
The thunder clapped over the heads of the ten thousand spectators, shocking everyone into silence.
Erich lowered his staff and swept his gaze across the crowd. “Anyone who wants to stand up for her, come down here and face me!”
No one moved. The ones who had been shouting the loudest moments ago now shrank back into their seats, not even daring to look toward the field. Miss Julian could only glare at Erich with resentment, not uttering a single word.
Those sitting here possessed at least some discernment. The sheer power of that lightning strike made it clear to the lower-year students that going up against him would be pure suicide. They only dared to curse because they were safe behind the spectator stands and the barrier; if they actually stood before him, they wouldn't last a single round.
As for those who possessed real strength, they noticed something else entirely.
From start to finish, Erich had countless opportunities to end the duel much sooner. When the Wine Mist hadn't fully spread, when her water blade pressure was insufficient, or even before that Wine Explosion crashed down, he had plenty of ways to turn the tables instantly.
Yet, he chose to take the hits, allowing the Wayne family's young mistress to showcase every single one of her trump cards before everyone, only concluding the fight with that single, albeit theatrical, blow.
Rather than arrogance, it was an awkward sort of kindness—a clumsy way of showing respect.
He was using his own way to tell Alicia: You are strong. I respect your fighting spirit, and I treat you as an opponent worthy of taking seriously.
While that ice spike was excruciatingly painful, the actual injury was remarkably light, like an adult raising a hand high to discipline a child but letting it fall as a gentle tap.
Those with discerning eyes naturally wouldn't go down to challenge Erich once they realized this. They remained seated as steady as mountains, their gazes now tinged with a newfound sense of evaluation.
For a long moment, the entire arena remained dead silent.
Erich waited a bit. Confirming that no one would step forward, he tucked his staff into his waist, ran a hand through his uneven, singed hair, and turned to walk toward the competitor tunnel.
When he reached the entrance of the tunnel, he paused. Slipping his left hand into his pocket, he raised his right hand and pointed toward the sky covered by the barrier. “The mountain is right here.”
He said, before vanishing into the shadows of the competitor tunnel.
No one knew who shouted first, but the entire colosseum suddenly erupted. Cheers, applause, and screams swept through like a tsunami, nearly lifting the dome off the arena. Even those who had just been condemning him for his lack of gentlemanly spirit couldn't help but stand up, hoping to catch another glimpse of him, but the tunnel was already empty.
Inside the private box, Irene covered her face, her shoulders shaking, though it was unclear whether she was crying or laughing. Lorraine slumped in her chair, letting out a long, heavy sigh. The Holy Maiden was thoroughly shocked, clearly not expecting to have misjudged him so completely. The young princess stared at the competitor tunnel, a smile playing on her lips.
Rate on N.U.
